Sgt. Richard George Beacher Sr. ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11}

   FamilySearch ID: 9C6N-GSB.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Census in 1930 in Clementon, Camden, NJ. ² The 1930 census in Clementon recorded Alfred Beacher, 37, living with wife Emma J., 30; John C., 12; Lillian A., 9; Alfred R., 7; William, 5; Henry, 3; and Richard G., 0. Everyone was born in Pennsylvania except John in Ohio and Alfred R. in Delaware.

2. Census in 1940 in Lewes, Sussex, DE. ¹² The 1940 census recorded living the home at 115 Woodland: Alfred Beacher, 48, living with wife Emma J., 40; John C., 23; Lillian A. Evans, 20; Alfred R., 17; William, 15; Henry W., 13; and Richard G., 11, Lura M., 7, and Joseph L., 2. Everyone was born in Pennsylvania except John and Lura in Ohio and Alfred R. in Delaware. Also in their home was Laban Evans, son in law, 23, born in Maryland, and granddaughter Reida V. Evans, 2 and grandson Alfred J. T. Evans, 0, both born in Delaware. In 1935, the census reports they were living in Burton, Geauga, Ohio.

3. Census in 1950 in Fort Benning, Chattahoochee, GA. ¹³ The 1950 census recorded in the U.S. Army at Fort Benning in Georgia: Richard G. Beacher, 20.

4. Richard served in the military on 14 Oct 1952 in , , , North Korea. ¹⁴ Name: Richard G Beacher
Race: White
Home State: Maryland
Casualty Date: 14 Oct 1952
Casualty Country: North Korea Sector
Casualty Type: Returned to Duty (FECOM)
Group: Returned to Duty (FECOM)
Branch Infantry
Component: USA - RA (Reg Army)
Rank: Sergeant
Pay Grade: Sergeant
Previous Detail: Wounded in action by missile, hospitalized
Disposed Date: 5 Nov 1952
Organization: In Div - 7th
Element Sequence: Cv Div Cav Regt Inf
Unit #: 0017
Service Occupation: Light Weapons Assault Crewman OR Light Weapons Infantry Leader.

5. Residence: 1958 Columbia, SC City Directory: Beacher, Richard G (Peggy J0 USA h4627 Oxford Rd in 1958 in Columbia, Lexington, SC. ¹⁵

6. Residence: on 23 Dec 1977 in Elkton, Cecil, MD. ⁶

7. Residence: in 1988 in Elkton, Cecil, MD. ³ 223 Hilltop Rd, Elkton, MD, 21921-2403.

8. Residence: on 23 Jan 1991 in Pleasant Hill, Cecil, MD. ⁸

9. Residence: on 7 Oct 1996 in Elkton, Cecil, MD. ¹⁶

10. Residence: Hilltop Rd., Elkton, MD on 23 Jan 1998 in Elkton, Cecil, MD. ⁹

11. Residence: on 12 Jun 2007 in Elkton, Cecil, MD. ¹⁰

12. Newspaper: Cecil Whig newspaper: Korean War saw bravery of Cecil County heroes, 14 May 2009, Elkton, Cecil, MD. ¹⁷ The men lining up to become charter members of Cecil County's Military Order of the Purple Heart have more than combat injuries in common.

Most of them served in World War II and many have known each other for decades.

The club is being spearheaded by Vietnam-era veteran and Purple Heart recipient Tim Smith, who pitched the organization to his fellow veterans during a recent meeting at the VFW Post 85 in North East.

"Cecil County is the only county in Maryland without a chapter," Smith said. "There are over 900 members in the statewide organization and 40 to 60 potential members here."

Smith said interest in the new club has grown so much that an organizational meeting at the North East VFW has been planned for 6 p.m. on June 1.

Although local veterans have expressed interest in joining the organization, Smith noted that it is a club that no one intentionally wants to join.

For example, Alfree E. Nabb of Middletown, Del. earned his right to join in Achen, Germany during World War II.

"I got shot by machine gun fire on Oct. 16, 1944," he said. "I was shot through the hip, my shoulder, my knee and … wrist."

Nabb said he spent the next several months being moved from hospital to hospital as he recovered from his wounds.

Several of the veterans who have expressed interest in founding a local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart have said they believe the medals earned by Nabb and others should differ in some way from those who earned theirs almost incidentally.

They discussed the difference between being scratched by artillery fire and being stabbed by an enemy soldier.

"A wound is a wound," said Richard Beacher of Elkton, who earned his Purple Heart after being hit in the chest and legs while serving as a paratrooper in Korea.

"I was taken to a battalion aid station and then flown to Japan," he recalled. "About six weeks later I was sent back to my unit."
Purple Heart recipient Joe Lofthouse, 89, said the wounds that earned him his medal were nothing compared to the harrowing ordeals he experienced elsewhere during World War II.

"The Purple Heart I got was easy," he said. "D-Day '96 that was rough. We ran all the way from France to Belgium with no cover and it was cold as hell."

Lofthouse said he feels that earning a Purple Heart was just part of being a soldier.

"I tried to give it back, but they wouldn't take it," he said.

13. Obituary: Cecil Daily: Obituary of Richard G. Beacher on 8 Feb 2014 in Elkton, Cecil, MD. ¹¹ Richard G. Beacher, age 84, of Elkton, MD, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 7, 2014 at Union Hospital in Elkton, MD. He was born September 1, 1929 in Uniontown, PA to the late Alfred and Emma (Beecroft) Beacher.

He was a highly decorated veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam being a recipient of several Purple Hearts, Silver Star and Bronze Star for gallantry among others.

He is survived by his sons, Richard G. Beacher, Jr. and his wife Karen of East Windsor, NJ, and Alfred W. Beacher of Elkton, MD; daughter Linda N. Beacher- Scott and husband David of Elkton, MD; four grandchildren Don Weber of Corpus Christi, TX, Roberta Weber of Newport-on-Tay, Fife, Scotland, and Gene Scott and Nicole Beacher both of Elkton, MD; brother Alfred Beacher of Baltimore, MD; and sisters Laura Mae Parsons of Reading, PA, and Suzanne Bello of Elkton, MD: and by five great grand children.

In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by wife of 45 years Peggy Jo; his brothers, Henry Beacher, James Beacher, William Beacher, John Beacher and Joseph Beacher; and a sister Lillian Evans.

A Memorial Service will be held at 12 Noon on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at the Elkton American Legion Post 15, 129 W. Main St., Elkton, MD 21921.

14. Newspaper: Cecil Whig newspaper: Korean War saw bravery of Cecil County heroes, 26 Apr 2014, Elkton, Cecil, MD. ¹⁸ ELKTON - On Aug. 3, 1950, the Cecil Democrat ran a headline on page one that is every military family's worst nightmare, "Cecil County Boy Missing in Action."

(photo of Sfc. Richard Beacher in article)

Those simple six words were followed by "The War Department has advised Mr. Anthony Monscevitz of near Elkton, that his 19-year-old son, Joseph T. Monscevitz has been missing in action in Korea, since July 20." According to military records kept by the National Archives, Pfc. Joseph Monscevitz was a water supply technician with the Army Corp of Engineers. He was captured in South Korea on July 20, 1950, and taken north. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending.

Three months later, the front page of The Democrat ran another headline on Oct. 26, 1950, "Elkton Boy Among 6 Surviving Red Massacre." According to the article, Monscevitz was among 80 Americans taken prisoner and placed on a train for North Korea. At some point along the route, the train stopped and the Americans began what the story refers to as a "death march." Not long afterwards, they were ordered to stop and were then machine gunned. The paper reported "(Monsczitz) was uninjured, even though men on both sides of him were slain."

"They escaped by feigning death."

"Monsczitz and the other five," The Democrat continued, "were rescued by a Korean youth after hiding four days and nights in the bitterly cold hills since escaping the massacre in which 74 of their companions were killed…."

While uninjured, Monsczitz and three of his comrades were flown to Japan for treatment.

Another soldier from Cecil County had a similar harrowing experience. Remember the 1959 movie Pork Chop Hill starring Gregory Peck? It was about the first battle for the Korean hill in April 1953. Three months later, there was a second battle for the same hill and this one included Cecil County's own Sgt. 1st Class Richard Beacher, of Elkton. On Aug. 6, 1953, the Cecil Whig quoted an Army newspaper report that "Beacher was with the other men when Allied forces were attempting to take the center knoll of Pork Chop Hill. The enemy was dug in," continued the report, "in trenches and heavily fortified bunkers."

The Whig reported that "Beacher and the other men charged the bunkers, throwing hand grenades and shooting communists who emerged. Their troops, who had been pinned down behind a knoll by enemy fire, were able to take the section." Heavy enemy artillery was also reported during the Allied charge. The paper noted that Beacher and his men survived the charge and were "being considered for citations." Unfortunately, 243 other Americans were not so lucky and 916 others were wounded. On the other side, it was estimated that 1,500 Chinese were lost plus another 4,000 wounded. History tells us that a truce was signed between Allied forces and the North Korean/Chinese governments just three weeks later.

Speaking of that truce, no false hopes were generated by it. The Democrat ran a story on July 30, 1953, in which the commanding officer of the Naval Training Center at Bainbridge reacted to the armistice. Capt. Clifford A. Fines said simply, "The armistice in Korea will not lighten the load Bainbridge is carrying." The paper reported that Bainbridge would continue to operate "14 advanced service schools, in addition to training male and WAVE recruits in basic indoctrination. No foreseeable cut down in any part of these programs is contemplated," he told the Democrat.

Meanwhile, the newspaper also ran an editorial in that same edition which called the truce "by no means a peace or even an indication of peace. It is a change in tactics." The editor went on to predict that "the peace negotiations which are to follow will be as futile as looking for a refreshing breeze in a brick kiln, unless our government is able to take a sufficiently strong position to convince the Soviet leaders that they are running into danger by continuing their stalling and deceitful tactics." The editor turned out to be a better forecaster of events than Fines with the Korean conflict still officially unsettled after 60 years and Bainbridge closed in 1986.

The research facilities of the Historical Society of Cecil County offer online databases, including those specializing in military history. Check our web site at www.cecilhistory.org for our operating hours, directions and other information available in our archives.

Richard married Peggy Jo Allen, daughter of Lorenzo Dow Allen and Nellie Irene Lindsey. (Peggy Jo Allen was born on 6 Aug 1934 in Eufaula, Barbour, AL,^{3 4 19 20 21} died on 23 Jan 1998 in Elkton, Cecil, MD ^{4 19 20} and was buried on 27 Jan 1998 in Elkton: Union Cemetery, Cecil, MD ^{4 9}.)