Morris W. Rickenbach Jr.

Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class Morris Wilson Rickenbach Jr. was born on April 8, 1923 to Morris and Mary Rickenbach, in Camden NJ, where his father was a carpenter in the family ship-building business. He attended Cramer Junior High School, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, on Federal Street in Camden, and participated in football and tennis while in school. After high school, he worked at the John R. Evans Company patent leather works. Co-workers at the Evans plant included Raymond Price, Norbert Rowan, and Francis Knox.

Entering the Navy, Morris Rickenbach, “Rick” to his mates, trained as a Pharmacist’s Mate, and was assigned to the 6th Naval Beach Battalion. This unit was one of the first ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, and was charged with insuring “the continuous movement of personnel, vehicles and supplies across the beach in support of a landing operation involving an Infantry Division to be followed by other Divisions and troops.” Morris Rickenbach’s unit was charged with arranging the evacuation of wounded off the beach, back to ships, to medical care in England. He was killed by German artillery or mortar fire shortly after coming ashore.

Morris Wilson Rickenbach was survived by his parents, of 3212 Saunders Street, in Camden NJ, and his sister Betty.

Morris Rickenbach and his unit went overseas on the HMS Queen Mary in December 1943, leaving from New York and debarking at Greenoch, Scotland.

Dear Lieutenant Hall,

I am Morris Rickenbach’s brother-in-law, and since his mother is as yet unable to concentrate on writing a letter, I am taking this opportunity to answer your letter for her.

It is impossible to find words to show our appreciation for your most enlightening and beautiful letter. There is little anyone can do to heal the wound that Rick’s passing has inflicted on his mother and father and the rest of us who knew and loved him, but the message of condolence that you and others, who served in the same company with him, have sent or delivered in person to us have been like a soothing salve that has helped us more than any of you will ever know to bear the sorrow which his passing has brought to us.

If you are ever in this vicinity and have the opportunity to pay us a visit, please do not hesitate to do so. It may be of interest to you to know that so far we have had the pleasure of seeing Lieutenant Collier, Dick Grewelle, Dennis O’Leary, Russell Dickinson, and Joe Wojnowski. The latter hitch-hiked all the way from Elizabeth, N.J., to bring Rick’s mother his identification tags and a religious medal he had been wearing.

All these gestures of friendship and kindness, we can never hope to repay. All we can do is thank you — thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, and pray that God will watch over and protect all of you.

Sincerely Yours,
Robert Maycott

P.S. Your letter to Rick’s mother and father was addressed to Camden, New York, instead of Camden, New Jersey.

My dad never talked about the war as I was growing up until after my Mom passed in 1973. Maybe a tragic and early death brings back these terrible memories in one’s life. The story was almost always the same one about when he landed on the beach of Normandy.

I believe his ship landed on the 3rd wave and this is how the story went: the beach was deserted except for Dr. Hall, Rickenbach and Dad. They were walking very slowly in a straight line, Dr. Hall led, Dad was next and then Rickenbach. They were oblivious to their surroundings, maybe it was fatigue, maybe it was shock, when suddenly Dr. Hall realized that there was shelling going on all around them. He yelled to Dad “run Wojo.” They started to run and Dad turned to yell to Rickenbach to hurry but when he turned around, Rickenbach was hit and his body exploded right then. Every time he told me this story, it was like I was hearing it for the first time because he would just stare straight ahead and included every detail as though he were reliving it. I could see in my head the whole thing playing out as though I was actually there. And that’s all he would say about that incident. The story ended there.

In the early 1990s, Dad told me he had a strong desire to visit Rickenbach’s grave site. I did some research and found out that he was buried in a Burlington County, NJ cemetery by the name of Beverly National Cemetery. It’s about an hour and a half from our home. That started our yearly ritual. On June 6th of every year that was to follow, Dad and I would go and visit Morris Rickenbach, Jr. at section F, grave # 1560 at the Beverly Cemetery. Mr. Rickenbach’s date of death was June 6, 1944. We continued that ritual until the year Dad couldn’t walk anymore.

My Dad enlisted in the Navy on January 10, 1942 until December 10, 1945. He was a Pharmacist’s Mate First Class. I hope this helps you Ken. And if you ever get a chance, would you send that letter from Rickenbach to Dad.

Thank you,
Eleanor
August 15, 2001

See also: 5th Engineer Special Brigade Monument