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Richard Guetter was born on March 18, 1923, and entered the Army on February 13, 1943. Richard went through basic training at Camp Walters,Texas, then graduated to Parachute School at Ft. Benning, Georgia. After getting his Parachute Wings, Richard received training in camouflage, demolition and sabotage. Private Guetter was posted to Queensland, Australia, with the 503rd in the Fall of 1943.

Private Guetter first saw action patroling the jungles in the Buna and Hollandia campaigns which took place in and around New Guinea in the spring of 1944. On June 12, 1944, Guetter made his 1st parachute jump into the island of Numfor in the Chapin Islands. This dangerous jump from was a very low altitude of 195 feet, and Guetter landed safely on the small Japanese air strip located at the center of the island. Others in the 503rd were not as lucky, many were injured on this dangerous low altitude jump. Casualties were 1/3 of his unit that day.

In October of 1944, the 503rd boarded a distroyer to Mindaro island in the Phillipines. Guetter landed in Mindanao, and became a scout for his company. He participated in a raid on Poupin Village which was a Japanese held town 5 hours inland. Guetter received the Bronze Star for this raid, among other acts of valor. Guetter then flew in to Negros island in the Phillipines, where his unit patrolled up in the mountains against snipers and Japanese who were held up in caves.

In February 1945, newly promoted Corporal Richard Guetter was with the 503rd when he jumped into the Japanese held island of Corregidor from which Macarthur had left four long years earlier. The jump was from 400 feet, and after landing, the 503rd discovered that the remaining Japanese had barricaded themselves inside the tunnels which run under the island. The 503rd cleared the Japanese out of the tunnels, and secured the island. The 503rd was famous for this jump, and it became a part of their insignia. Richard Guetter returned home in 1945. He is now retired and lives in Mill Valley, California.