Howard Rich was drafted into the U.S. Army in December 1942. He was assigned to Battery 321 of the 101st Airborne Division, and sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for basic training. He was a glider pilot during World War II.    In August of 1943, Rich’s division was deployed to England. Rich participated in the invasion of Normandy, in May of 1944, and in the “Market Garden” invasion of Holland in September of that year. He was wounded while in Holland and spent two months in an English Hospital.    From December of 1944 until late January of 1945, Rich helped defend the town of Bastogne, Belgium. He spent the remainder of the war fighting in France and Germany and was in Biergesgarden, Germany when the war in Europe ended. He returned to the U.S. in June of 1945.

Transcript Number 021 Title: Howard Rich: Remembering World War II Interviewee: Howard Rich Interviewer: Andy Dutka Interview Date: February 11, 1999 Location of Interview: Wilmington, N.C. Description: 1 VHS Cassette Tape (c. 72 min.): sd., col. Documentation: 1 Typed Transcript Series: World War II Veterans Oral History Preservation Project Series: Voices of Experience