Richard A. Wetzbarger was born on October 2, 1920 in the town of Tulare, Spink County, South Dakota, to Virgil Charles Wetzbarger and Cora E. Wetzbarger, nee Trumbo. Richard’s siblings were Lester, Enid, Elmer “Dale,” and Mervyl Wetzbarger. In 1926, the family moved to Garfield County, Montana, where Virgil owned a ranch near the town of Jordan. Richard graduated from Cohagon High School in Garfield County. Richard and his parents moved to Edmonds, Snohomish County, Washington in 1941, where Virgil got a job with the Associated Shipyards in Seattle.

Richard married Flora Ruth Whitmer on June 19, 1941 in King County, Washington. Flora was also from Garfield County, Montana. Richard registered for the draft on February 15, 1942. He was 21 years old, 5’8” tall, and weighed 158 pounds. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. He was employed by the Army Finance Office in Seattle. He was inducted into the United States Army on October 22, 1942 in Tacoma, Washington. He was married and had completed one year of college. His occupation was stenographer/typist. He was assigned Army Service Number 39192787 upon enlistment.

Corporal Richard Wetzbarger served in the 88th Infantry Training Battalion at Camp Roberts, California. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on July 5, 1943 after completing Officers’ Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Second Lieutenant Wetzbarger was assigned to the 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. The 330th went overseas to England in April 1944. After training in Wales, the 83rd Division landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, on June 18, 1944. In July, the unit struggled through Normandy’s hedgerow country, an area characterized by small fields surrounded by high hedges and narrow sunken lanes. The Germans took advantage of the terrain to create a system of defenses consisting of minefields and machine-gun and mortar nests, all perfectly concealed in the thick vegetation. On July 12, Lieutenant Wetzbarger was wounded in the buttock and hip by artillery shell fragments. He recovered and returned to duty that same month. After the breakout at St. Lo, the 330th was moved to Brittany, France. The unit was assigned to capture the port cities of St. Malo and Dinard. The 3rd Battalion of the 330th was attached to Task Force A and advanced west to assist in the capture of the fortified port city of Brest.

Second Lieutenant Richard A. Wetzbarger was killed in action on August 26, 1944 in the city of Daoulas, south of Brest. He is buried in the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial. Saint-James, Basse-Normandie, France (Plot P, Row 3, Grave 16). He was awarded the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster.

Besides his widow, Flora Whitmer Wetzbarger, Richard left behind a four-month-old son, Michael Wetzbarger, whom he never had the chance to see.

Richard’s brother, Dale Wetzbarger, served in the Navy (Seabees) in the Mariana Islands in World War II.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project

(see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to

write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We

Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be

accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have

additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at

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SBTSProject/Washington/King County

Sources:

The Seattle Daily Times, Tuesday, Sep 26, 1944, Seattle, WA, Page: 13, https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A127D718D1E33F961%40GB3NEWS-12A6F6101756B699%402431360-12A6118974B72D13%4012-12A6118974B72D13%40?h=2&fname=richard&lname=wetzbarger&fullname=&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc=&sort=old&sid=lotjjfdottaznvxjjfjpttaxdalvftdh_ip-10-166-46-99_1703721738135

The Billings Gazette, 05 Dec 1979, Wed ·Page 10, https://www.newspapers.com/image/413304902/?article=dd16ba91-d8ca-4085-9ddb-72f6198bb25d&focus=0.49330118,0.36988366,0.72895277,0.5047552&xid=3355&_gl=1*18dz9xp*_gcl_au*MTkyOTkxNjc5MC4xNzAyMjQ5MTg4*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*ZDBhMzM3YWUtNzAwNy00OGU1LWE0NWUtZjk5ZWY3NzZhYWYxLjgwOC4xLjE3MDM3MjI0ODMuMjMuMC4w*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*ZDBhMzM3YWUtNzAwNy00OGU1LWE0NWUtZjk5ZWY3NzZhYWYxLjIxNy4xLjE3MDM3MjI0ODMuMC4wLjA.&_ga=2.188361384.1825378662.1703383663-1783546899.1649884940

Findagrave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56353912/richard-abner-wetzbarger

WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, https://www.fold3.com/record/703900660/blank-us-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954

Crawford Tribune (Crawford, Nebraska), 29 Sep 1944, Fri ·Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/673402865?utm_source=fold3.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Fold3&_gl=1*11feenw*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2NjY3LjQwLjAuMA..

Miles City Star (Miles City, Montana), 10 Jul 1943, Sat ·Page 8, https://www.newspapers.com/image/957403180?utm_source=fold3.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Fold3&_gl=1*1tinuuj*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2NjY3LjQwLjAuMA..

The Jordan Tribune (Jordan, Montana), 21 Oct 1943, Thu ·Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/951354644?utm_source=fold3.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Fold3&_gl=1*1tinuuj*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2NjY3LjQwLjAuMA..

WWII Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, https://www.fold3.com/record/529923832/richard-a-wetzbarger-us-american-battle-monuments-commission-1914-1950

WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty List, 1946, https://www.fold3.com/image/310763534?rec=299424182

WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1940, https://www.fold3.com/image/649631733

1930 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/114422210:6224?_gl=1*1g4wkar*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2ODYxLjYwLjAuMA..

1940 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/77851443:2442?_gl=1*152cavx*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2ODYxLjYwLjAuMA..

Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/23827:9170?_gl=1*152cavx*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2ODYxLjYwLjAuMA..

The Story of the 330th Infantry Across Europe, https://83rdinfdivdocs.org/documents/330th/various/The_Story_of_the_330th_across_Europe.pdf

Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854-2013, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/797338:2378?_gl=1*1evwy2g*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTcwMzcyMzIzMi44MDkuMS4xNzAzNzI2OTU4LjYwLjAuMA..

Richard A Wetzbarger