William James Rasberry

November 2, 2018
Categories: Students

“Private First Class (Pfc.) Rasberry was honorably discharged Oct. 9, 1945, and was separated from the U.S. Army Oct. 15, 1945, arriving home safe and sound to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with his beloved family.

Pfc. Rasberry was very proud that he had served his country, and his family are extremely proud of his contributions to this wonderful country. His family still has all of the medals that were awarded to him. They are truly a treasure to all four of his children who are still living.”

– Jarod Ricks, student

William James Rasberry, remembered by his great-grandson, Jarod Ricks

Retrieving soldiers wounded or killed in battle placed William Rasberry in harm’s way.

William James Rasberry was drafted into the U.S. Army on April 6, 1944. At the time, he was 29 years old, and he and his wife were expecting their fourth child. He could have requested to be excused from the draft because of this, but instead he chose to serve his country.

After completing basic training in Ft. Hood, Texas, during the summer of 1944, Rasberry returned home for a brief visit. He came back again in October just before being shipped overseas. During this last visit, he spent time with his wife and children, including his baby daughter who was just two days old. He arrived in Luxembourg in November 1944.

In December 1944, he was fighting in the Battle of the Ardennes Forest, also known as Battle of the Bulge. Rasberry and his buddy were assigned the task of going to the battlefield and bringing wounded soldiers back to the base camp. Two soldiers on stretchers were brought back each trip, one on the front of the Jeep and one on the back. Each time the soldiers crested a hill, they were immediately in the heart of the battlefield with artillery and mortar fire all around them. On one of these trips, Rasberry’s buddy was killed when mortar fire hit their vehicle.

Rasberry received a Bronze Star for bravery, as well as three battle stars for the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of the Rhineland and the Battle of Control Europe.