Stone Gardens: Paratrooper with Oklahoma ties awarded Purple Heart posthumously after combat death
- Dennis McCaslin
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Private Richard Alex Hager was born on April 14, 1924, into a working-class family with roots in Texas and Oklahoma. He was the son of Richard Eugene Hager, who was born in Hopkins County, Texas, and later laid to rest in Sunnylane Cemetery in Del City, Oklahoma.
Young Richard grew up in the heartland during a time of great challenge for the nation. Like so many boys of his generation, he completed his early education in local schools before the call to duty changed his path forever.
On February 18, 1943, at the age of eighteen, Richard enlisted in the United States Army with service number 38400133. He volunteered for the demanding airborne forces and completed rigorous parachute training to earn his jump wings. Assigned to Company E, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, he became one of the elite All Americans
. His unit trained intensely across the United States and then in England, preparing for the greatest invasion the world had ever seen.
In the early hours of June 6, 1944, Private Hager boarded a C-47 transport and jumped into the darkness over Normandy, France, as part of Operation Overlord. The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment faced a chaotic drop marked by heavy flak, clouds, and strong winds that scattered the paratroopers across the countryside.
Despite the disorder, Richard and his comrades fought fiercely in the hedgerows of the Cotentin Peninsula. They secured bridges, disrupted German forces, and supported the landings at Utah Beach.
Nine days after the initial assault, on June 15, 1944, Private Richard Alex Hager was killed in action at the age of twenty. Official records state he died from penetrating wounds to the thorax during intense close-quarters combat.
His body was first buried in a temporary cemetery at Blosville, France. After the war, in accordance with his family’s wishes, his remains were brought home and laid to rest at Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, in Section 3, Site 1759-C.
For his sacrifice, Private Hager received the Purple Heart posthumously.
Though he never had the chance to marry, raise a family, or pursue a civilian career, his courage helped secure victory in Europe. He now rests among thousands of fellow veterans at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, where visitors can honor his memory, especially during Memorial Day observances.
Richard Alex Hager represents the quiet bravery of a generation that answered the call without hesitation. His story reminds us of the high cost of freedom and the enduring debt we owe to those who jumped into history on D-Day.
On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember Private Hager and all those who gave their last full measure so that others might live free.
