Print This Page

Master Gunnery Sargent Richard Ralph Neumann

A black and white image of a young White man in uniform.
  • Unit: 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marines, 2nd Battalion, Headquarters Company
  • Date of Birth: September 19, 1923
  • Entered the Military: December 15, 1942
  • Date of Death: September 5, 1992
  • Hometown: Elizabeth, New Jersey
  • Place of Death: Alpharetta, Georgia
  • Award(s): Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Occupation Medal (Japan), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
  • Cemetery: Section Q, Site 194-A. Marietta National Cemetery, Marietta, Georgia
Contributed by Mack Bybee, Roan Dutta, Zaki George, Dylan Nelson, Jon Soren UyHam, and Mitchell Walker
Mentored by Mrs. Mindy Lawrence
Pace Academy, Atlanta, Georgia
2025/2026

Early Life

Richard Neumann was born on September 19, 1923, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Edith and Ralph Neumann. His parents were first-generation German-Americans. Richard was the couple’s only child.

Neumann attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he participated in intramural sports. He graduated in 1940.

At eighteen, Neumann went to work for Simmons Company, a bedding manufacturer with a factory in Elizabeth. 

A snippet of the 1930 Census.
The 1930 Census shows the Neumann family living in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Dad, Ralph, works as an accountant for a steel manufacturer. Ralph’s sister, Florence, is also living with the family.
A black and white headshot image of a young White man.
Neumann’s Senior Yearbook Photo, 1940. Ancestry.
A map showing the different neighborhoods of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The 1940 Census map of Elizabeth, New Jersey. National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

During World War II, Elizabeth, New Jersey, was home to one of the country’s most industrially important regions. In nearby Linden, the Bayway Refinery produced aviation fuel used by Allied aircraft. In Kearny, to the north, Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock produced approximately 465 vessels, including hundreds of warships for the Navy. 

From June 1942 to July 1945, the Singer Sewing Machine Factory ceased production of domestic sewing machines and retooled to make munitions and parts for military airplanes and machinery. Singer was one of Elizabeth’s largest employers, employing five thousand workers at a one hundred thirteen-acre facility with 48 buildings totaling 2.6 million square feet. 

Simmons Company, where Neumann worked before the war, also diverted production during the war. They switched to making cots, parachutes, and medical supplies. Elizabeth was at the heart of this industrial corridor, and the residents felt the weight of the war through food, gasoline, and rubber rationing, scrap metal drives, and blackout drills. 

The city also organized large-scale fundraisers for the Red Cross and the war bond effort, raising over two million dollars by the end of the war.

A color, drawn postcard of a four-story brick factory with sign on top reading “Singer Sewing Machines.”
A postcard depicts the Singer Sewing Machine Factory, 1909. Star-Ledger Archives.
Newspaper ad featuring Simmons contribution to the war effort.
Advertising for Simmon Company. The Sunday News, June 3, 1945.

Military Experience

Richard Neumann enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on December 15, 1942. In January 1943, he reported to the 4th Recruit Battalion, Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, for basic training. 

Stateside Service

In March 1943, Neumann was assigned to Headquarters, Marine Aircraft Engineer Squadron 44, in Cherry Point, North Carolina. In April 1943, he was sent to the Marine Aviation Clerical School at Naval Training Station, San Diego, California. He graduated on June 25, 1943, and was promoted to corporal. 

In July 1943, Neumann joined Headquarters Squadron, Marine Night Fighting Group 53, Fleet Marine Force at Cherry Point. This was the first night fighter group in the Marine Corps. They were responsible for training all other squadrons. Neumann served in the group’s service and support element in administrative and mechanical capacities. He earned a series of promotions that year and into 1944, ending at master technical sergeant. On September 14, 1943, he married Thelma Reibel. On October 31, 1944, the couple welcomed their first child, Richard. 

Guam and Japan

In August 1945, Neumann embarked from San Diego, California, aboard USS Marvin H. McIntyre to Guam, Mariana Islands, and joined the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force in the field. The Marines used Guam as a staging stop as they moved toward Kyushu, Japan, for the occupation that took place after the surrender of Japan. 

Neumann also participated in the occupation of Japan. The unit’s mission during this period was to establish control of the area, ensure compliance with surrender terms, and demilitarize Japan. During this period, Neumann was promoted to master gunnery sergeant. 

Discharge

Neumann’s overseas service came to an end on March 17, 1946, when he embarked in Sasebo, Japan, aboard USS Comet to San Diego, California. He received an honorable discharge in Bainbridge, Maryland, on April 12, 1946.

A type-written list of stations and duties
Neumann’s Record of Service. National Archives and Records Administration.
A type-written list of stations and duties
Neumann’s Record of Service, continued. National Archives and Records Administration.
A black and white aerial image of a ship in the ocean.
USS Marvin H. McIntyre, November 20, 1944. National Archives and Records Administration (80-G-272767).

Veteran Experience

After the war, Neuman returned to his childhood home in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In 1949, his family grew with the addition of his daughter, Gale. By 1950, Neuman lived with his wife, son, daughter, father, and aunt, Florence. 

Neumann returned to work at the Simmons Company factory as a machine operator. After forty-one years of service to that company, he retired in November 1982 as a systems analyst.

A snippet of the 1950 Census.
The 1950 Census shows the Neumann family living in Elizabeth, New Jersey. National Archives and Records Administration.

Commemoration

Richard R. Neumann passed away on August 5, 1992, at the age of 68. Neumann was buried at Marietta National Cemetery.

An arched marble headstone engraved with a cross and the words "Richard R Neumann M GY SGT US Marine Corps World War II Sep 19 1923 Aug 5 1992."
Richard Neumann’s grave at Marietta National Cemetery, April 14, 2026. Courtesy of Chris Preperato.
A color photograph of six young men standing next to a headstone in a cemetery.
Students from Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, honor Neumann at Marietta National Cemetery, April 14, 2026. Courtesy of Chris Preperato.

Bibliography

Primary Sources:

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps – New Jersey – Union County – Elizabeth. Map. 1940. Enumeration District and Related Maps Collection, National Archives (ED 23-119). 

“2,000 Laid off by Singer; Job Seekers Grow.” Elizabeth Daily Journal [Elizabeth, New Jersey], August 18, 1945. 

“Bomb Obliterated All in Hiroshima Path; 60% of City of Laid Waste; Japs Still Dazed; Truman Going on Radio Tomorrow Night.” Elizabeth Daily Journal [Elizabeth, New Jersey], August 8, 1945. 

“Campaign Fund of Red Cross at $242,202.” Elizabeth Daily Journal [Elizabeth, New Jersey], March 30, 1945. 

New Jersey. Union County. 1920 U.S. Census. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

New Jersey. Union County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

New Jersey. Union County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

“P.S. Plant Here to Cost $1,500,000.” Elizabeth Daily Journal [Elizabeth, New Jersey], January 6, 1942. 

Richard R. Neumann, Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Richard R. Neumann, Report of Separation, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Richard R. Neumann. United States Marine Corps. Muster Roll, VMFA-531, October 1942. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

Richard Ralph Neumann. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

“Sales Advance to $2,351,086 in Bond Drive.” Elizabeth Daily Journal [Elizabeth, New Jersey], May 31, 1945. 

“Simmons.” The Sunday News [Ridgewood, New Jersey], June 3, 1945. Newspapers.com (632846752). 

Tee Jay. Elizabeth, New Jersey: Thomas Jefferson High School for Boys, 1940. 

USS Marvin H. McIntyre (APA-129). Photograph. November 20, 1944. U.S. Navy Photo Collection, National Archives (# 80-G-272767). 

Secondary Sources

“1900s.” The Historical Society of Elizabeth. Accessed November 12, 2025. https://visithistoricalelizabethnj.org/timeline/1900s/.

“Brooklyn Navy Yard.” Columbia University. Accessed November 12, 2025. https://www.columbia.edu/~jrs9/BNY-Ships.html.

“Elizabeth.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/place/Elizabeth-New-Jersey.

“Richard Martin Neumann.” Family Search. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L2VC-VX7/richard-martin-neumann-1944-2016.

“Richard R. Neumann.” Find a Grave. Accessed November 1, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3954285/richard-r-neumann. 

“Richard R. Neumann.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, National Cemetery Administration. Accessed April 17, 2026. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/RICHARDRNEUMANN/E3BE2D2.

“Singer Sewing Machine Factory Blaze Destroys a Legacy From America’s Industrial Age.” New Jersey. Accessed April 16, 2026. https://www.nj.com/union/2024/01/massive-blaze-at-former-singer-sewing-machine-destroys-a-legacy-from-americas-industrial-age.html. 

“Thelma R. Lepore Obituary.” The York Dispatch [York County, Pennsylvania], November 13, 2019. https://www.yorkdispatch.com/obituaries/mpa038762.


This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.