DOB/DOD: July 8, 1988 (Christiana, DE) – May 31, 2011; 22 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Northwoods Road; North Granby
ENLISTMENT: September 23, 2009
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 25U; Signal Support Systems Specialist
UNIT: Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division; Fort Polk, Louisiana
FAMILY: Born to Richard C. Jr. (1963-1999) and Janice Tighe Emmons Hogan (1963-). Stepfather, William Hogan (1964-). One half-brother, Conor (1989-). One half-sister, Morgan A. Hogan (1998-2023).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Medal – Afghanistan, and Combat Action Badge.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Specialist Emmons died May 31, 2011, at Forward Operating Base Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Granby Memorial High School, Class of 2006
From The Day (New London, CT) June 2, 2011
Jennifer McDermott | Day Staff Writer
CONNECTICUT SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN FIGHTING
22-year-old Dies In Grenade Attack; Joined Army In 2009
Army Specialist Richard C. Emmons III, of North Granby, was killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday. Emmons, 22, was the driver on a mounted patrol in Logar Province when the vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He died of shrapnel injuries at a military hospital. Emmons was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. He was a signal support systems specialist stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Governor Dannel P. Malloy ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Emmons’ honor. Emmons is the 57th soldier with ties to Connecticut killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the state’s count. “Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Specialist Emmons at this devastating time,” Malloy said in a statement. “We will not forget that Specialist Emmons, like too many of our men and women in uniform, gave his life for the cause of freedom and in service to this country. Our thoughts are with his unit still in Afghanistan, and we hope they, and the rest of our troops overseas, return home safely.” Emmons joined the Army in September 2009. After training at Fort Jackson and Fort Gordon, he arrived at Fort Polk in May 2010. He deployed with his unit in October to Afghanistan. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. Emmons is survived by his mother and stepfather.
From The Hartford Courant on June 8, 2011
Richard C. “Richie” Emmons, III, age 22, of North Granby, CT, formerly of Woodstown, died Tuesday, May 31, 2011, in Afghanistan due to injuries sustained in an enemy attack. Born in Christiana Hospital in Delaware, he lived in Woodstown until 2002, when he moved to North Granby, CT. He is a 2006 graduate of Granby Memorial High School and also a 2009 graduate of the Porter and Chester Institute in Enfield, CT. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 23, 2009, and earned the rank of Specialist on April 1, 2011. During his military service to our country, he received the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. Richie loved hunting, country music, and cruising in his Ford F-150, but more than anything, he loved to be with his family. He was very lovable and very kind, and wherever he went, he always left a place better off than it was before he came. Richie is survived by his loving mother and stepfather, Janice (Tighe) and William Hogan; his sister, Morgan; his brother, Conor; his maternal grandparents, Ralph and Carol Tighe of Pedricktown; his paternal grandmother, Arline Newsome of Salem; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was predeceased by his father, Richard C. Emmons, Jr., and his paternal grandfather, Richard C. Emmons, Sr. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 11 in the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit Parish Center (formerly St. Joseph’s Church), Elm St., Woodstown, where friends are invited to visit Friday from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday morning from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass. Burial with full military honors will take place after Mass at Lawnside Cemetery in Pilesgrove. A memorial service in Richie’s hometown of North Granby, CT, will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Richie’s memory may be made to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD, 20850-5168, http://www.fisherhouse.org; or to the USO of PA & Southern NJ, Terminal A-East, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA, 19153, http://www.libertyuso.org. Arrangements are under the direction of the H.T. Layton Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Woodstown, 856-769-1515.
From The Valley News
By Jennifer Senofonte | Staff Writer
Granby mourns the loss of native soldier
Granby has lost one of its bravest to the war in Afghanistan. Army Specialist Richard Emmons III, known to his high school friends as “Richie,” graduated from Granby Memorial High School in 2006. He died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan on May 31. Granby residents are mourning the loss of their friend but also celebrating his life through fond memories.
“Richie was the laid-back country boy who would give you the shirt off his back,” close friend and classmate Heather Stringer said. “He was always smiling and laughing.” She recalled venturing to Hartford with him every summer for multiple country concerts and, on the way home, stopping at Denny’s for Richie’s favorite meal there, country-fried steak. “He loved his family, Fords, hunting, Budweiser, and his Jack Daniels,” she added.
Emmons died at a military hospital of shrapnel injuries sustained in the attack on his unit’s vehicle in Logar Province, Afghanistan. Governor Dannel Malloy has ordered flags to remain at half-staff until his burial, and, as of press time, arrangements are pending. “Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Specialist Emmons at this devastating time,’ Governor Malloy stated.
“We will not forget that Specialist Emmons, like too many of our men and women in uniform, gave his life for the cause of freedom and in service to this country. Our thoughts are with his unit still in Afghanistan, and we hope they, and the rest of our troops overseas, return home safely.”
Emmons enlisted in the United States Army in 2009. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Emmons chose these lyrics to a country song by artist Chris Cagle for his senior quote in the yearbook five years ago: “Scars heal, glory fades, and all you’re left with are the memories made. Pain hurts, but only for a minute. Your life is short, so go ahead and live it.”
This past weekend, country star Brad Paisley dedicated his concert in Hartford to Emmons.
From Obits.NJ.com
My daughter phoned this morning from Iraq, in tears, to tell us about Specialist Emmons, her BCT battle buddy. She told about a young man who was chivalrous and quiet, kind, funny, hardworking, and outdoorsy. She is heartbroken. She said he was one of the good guys. Our prayers are with the family of this fine American soldier. May he rest in peace, and may God comfort his family and all who grieve for him. — Mark and Cynthia Naughton
Richie was the nicest, kindest, sweetest, funniest friend everyone had in Granby. We will never forget him and all the good times we shared with him. He could make anyone laugh, even if they were crying. Richie – you will always make me smile, and I love and miss you so much. On behalf of all your friends in Granby – you are our hero. — Brittany Nowak
Memorialized on a monument at 20 Ashbrooke Avenue, Woodstown, New Jersey.
Memorialized with a monument in front of Granby Town Hall, 15 North Granby Road, Granby, Connecticut.
Specialist Emmons is buried in Lawnside Cemetery, 896 NJ-45, Woodstown, New Jersey; Sunrise Slope Section, Lot 237A, Grave 1.
