Carmen J. Richichi

Carmen J. Richichi came from a proud military family. His father served in World War I and rarely spoke about his own service, only mentioning that he went “foxhole to foxhole.” Both of Carmen’s older brothers also fought in World War II, with his oldest brother fighting under General Patton throughout the war in Europe, helping to liberate prisoners and retrieve ammunition under fire. After the war, the brother continued his career in the National Guard, eventually becoming a Chief Warrant Officer.

Richichi was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951, at age 21. At the time, he was working as a Punch Press Operator, which he considered a “lousy” job. Richichi had wanted to be an auto mechanic and had no plans for college. When he told his father about the draft notice, his father was shocked and urged him not to go, but Richichi convinced him that it was his duty. He completed Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, where he first experienced living on his own. Basic Training was tough, lasting six months. Richichi had heard rumors that the Korean War might end soon, and he assumed he would not be sent overseas. That assumption proved wrong.

After a short five-day leave, Richichi reported to San Francisco and then Fort Lewis, where he shipped out for Korea in December 1951. Soldiers were issued double sets of winter clothing in preparation for the cold, but most of it was taken for troops already in-country. His group arrived with mostly summer gear in the middle of the Korean winter. They spent ten days in Okinawa for refresher training before sailing to Pusan, Korea. Richichi carried an M1 Carbine instead of the standard issued M1 Garand. Upon his arrival in Pusan around Christmas 1951, he noted that morale was high. Richichi was assigned as a Field Wireman with the 2nd Engineer Construction Group, stationed about 30 miles north of Seoul at Yeongdeungpo. His duties included stringing telephone wire, climbing poles, and installing telephones for communications.

The train ride north from Pusan was a grueling three-day journey with no heat, broken windows, and rotating guard duty every two hours. Each railcar had its own ammunition for protection. Eventually, Richichi was dropped off at a replacement depot and then assigned to his permanent unit. Richichi recalled that during his first night in Korea, he heard loud bangs and saw bright flares in the sky, thinking they were fireworks. In reality, it was anti-aircraft fire. Each night, a single enemy aircraft would fly over and drop one 500-pound bomb before escaping American jets. When that plane was finally shot down, another took its place. One time, a bomb hit the airfield and destroyed several planes. His unit was about thirty miles behind the front lines, but whenever they ran out of wire, they had to go forward to retrieve more.

Winter was brutal. Richichi remembered trudging through two feet of snow to replace a fallen telephone pole near Seoul. After realizing the amount of work that would need to go into repairing the pole, he lied to his superiors and said the pole was missing. Richichi then offered the telephone pole to a passing Korean to use as firewood.

Life in Yeongdeungpo consisted of mud huts, tin shacks, and bombed-out buildings with no paved roads or health facilities. Officers had cabins while enlisted men shared larger buildings that served as kitchens and dance halls. Richichi’s group built a small church and even enjoyed visits from celebrities like Debbie Reynolds, who came to boost morale. His unit also incorporated South Korean troops who primarily operated switchboards. His second winter in Korea was more tolerable after proper “Mickey Mouse” boots and wool pants arrived. His sister often sent packages from home with good food. The NCO Club on base also offered a bit of relief: you could buy a beer for ten cents a can. After one Thanksgiving, though, he learned a valuable lesson after he got drunk and said something to a Warrant Officer that almost got him court-martialed. Richichi did not remember what he said, but the Warrant Officer gave him a stern warning, and he never drank again while overseas.

Richichi was fortunate enough to never have fired his weapon in combat. The only time he saw enemy soldiers was during the prisoner exchanges in 1953. American POWs came home in ambulances, clearly mistreated. North Korean prisoners tried to show signs of mistreatment by stripping off their clothes, though they would never have any wounds. Richichi considered himself lucky that his time in Korea was relatively peaceful. When he finally returned home, he sailed back on a troopship (originally scheduled to return on the USS Wasp, which was under repair). Landing in San Francisco, Richichi then flew to Camp Kilmer, NJ, where he was discharged and placed in the Army Reserve.

Back home, Richichi searched for a better job than the Punch Press position. He applied to New Jersey Bell but was rejected for being half an inch too short to climb telephone poles, despite having done exactly that in Korea. On his way home, Richichi stopped to see his brother, now a Warrant Officer at the Woodbridge Armory. His brother made a call to the Newark Armory and got him a clerical position claiming he could type 32 words a minute, even though he could not actually type well at all. Richichi officially joined the New Jersey National Guard on October 15, and the very next day, he received a letter recalling him to active duty for the Berlin Crisis. Thanks to his brother’s intervention, Richichi remained in the National Guard.

Richichi’s National Guard career was long and varied. He served with the 53rd Tank Battalion in Woodbridge, then in Freehold and Red Bank with the 2nd Tank Battalion, and later in Lawrenceville as a Property Book Officer, eventually rising to the rank of First Sergeant. He managed payrolls, handled logistics, and ensured that equipment requests were legitimate. Later, Richichi also became a recruiter for 3-4 years, which he considered his favorite position. He would often visit schools to share stories of his Korean War service and the benefits of Guard life. Richichi even earned an award for the most recruits in a single year. 

During the Newark, Asbury Park, and Plainfield riots, his unit was called up for state duty. Richichi was assigned to protect civic buildings; he remembered having to protect the mayor’s bar. He also recalled being shot at while defending a fire department and having to help transport a wounded Guardsman to a nearby hospital after the soldier had been shot by sniper fire. Ironically, Richichi saw combat in New Jersey that he had never seen in Korea. He also responded to storms and natural disasters. Richichi remembered a severe snowstorm in Sea Bright where floodwaters stranded residents.

Richichi remembered the camaraderie of his Guard units fondly. When he retired at age 60 in 1991, after nearly four decades of service, his unit threw a celebration at the Sea Girt Armory. Richichi received trophies and a ceremonial sword. After retirement, he worked for his son at an auto-repair shop in Neptune for about two and a half years until his son jokingly “fired” him, telling him to enjoy retirement. Richichi did just that. He stayed involved in the National Guard Retirees Association, served as an usher and money counter at his St. Elizabeth Church in Avon, NJ, and volunteered with retired friends in the workshop at the National Guard Militia Museum.

Staying active was important to him. Richichi rode his bicycle ten miles a day until a fall from a ladder broke his leg. Doctors said it would never bend again, but through determination and exercise on a stationary bike, he regained full use of it. When Richichi visited Korea again in 2000, he was amazed by the transformation. The people he met were grateful and proud that he had helped protect their country.

Carmen Richichi died at home in Neptune, NJ with his family around him on December 17, 2014, at the age of 83.