On July 20 of 1920 Ernest (father), Lillian (mother) and Irene (sister) Tope welcomed their new son and brother, Richard L. Tope, into the world. The young family lived in the small town of Decatur, Indiana. He would attend school in Decatur and graduate from Decatur High School in 1938. Richard was then employed by the Decatur Trucking Company before enlisting in the Army. Tope was inducted into the Army on November 19, 1943 at the age of twenty-three. He would start his training on December 10 of the same year. Richard was a Private in company K of the 329th Infantry of the 83rd Division of the United States Army. He trained at Fort McClellan in Alabama before being sent over to England in mid-April of 1944 and then to France only two months later. The 83rd headed across the English Channel on June 19, 1944 and landed on Omaha Beach beginning their advance into France. Richard Tope and his comrades endured harsh battle at Normandy. The men fought for nearly a month. The Normandy Campaign came to an end and unlike the other divisions, Tope and the men of the 83rd Division turned west into Brittany through Coutances and Avranches; the coastal towns of St. Malo and Dinard being their goal. The Battle of St. Malo Started on August 4 when the division moved out on trucks heading toward St. Malo and Dinard. The 329th, 330th and 331st Infantries all moved into positions infantry unit came up from the south capturing the towns of Miniac, Montais, Le Bourelais, and La Balue Station; then following a house-to-four. Richard Tope is now buried in Decatur Cemetery and his sacrifice and patriotism will forever be remembered by the American people. For his service, Pvt. Tope earned the WWII Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Purple Heart for injuries resulting in death. Information collected and researched by Cheyenne Mendoza, 2014.
83rd Infantry Division Documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.http://83rdinfdivdocs.org/documents/329th/MR/MR_329_Co_K_AUG1944.pdf
83rd Thunderbolt Division. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. http://www.ncweb.com/users/davecurry/brothers/stmalo.html.
Ancestry. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. www.ancestry.com
Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.