Oklahoma Soldier Remembered

Monday, August 6th 2007, 6:26 am

By: News On 6

Staff Sergeant Jack Richards was a Broken Arrow native who was severely wounded in Iraq, and fought for three years to recover from his injuries. Richards died last week at his home in North Carolina. He was returned home and laid to rest Monday in Oklahoma. The News On 6â€™s Steve Berg talked to friends and family after Richards' funeral services. He reports Richards' father was also named Jack, so they still think of him as Jackie, the youngest of three kids, but who they say liked to think big.

Cliff Pugh says he first met Jack Richards when they were both in the 8th grade at Broken Arrow.

"He lived not far from me and had lots of acreage, a pond and a three-wheeler, and that's all it took," Richardsâ€™ friend Cliff Pugh said.

Family members say Richards was a rambunctious youth who liked to be in the middle of everything. And they say the highly decorated paratrooper showed his daredevil side early on.

"Him and his friends liked to get up on top of the garage and jump into the swimming pool. That was the kind of kid he was," Richardsâ€™ second cousin Glenda Randeau said.

Pugh says Richards later talked him into joining the Broken Arrow football team, where they were side-by-side on the offensive line.

"He was number 76 and I was number 77. We made the holes and Kelly Harper ran through 'em, y'know. It was a lot of good times," said Pugh. "He was my best bud."

Later, at the somewhat unusual age of 29, Richards joined another team, the Army.

"It was his lifelong dream, he always wanted to be a soldier," Pugh said.

His colleagues in the 82nd Airborne nicknamed him old man, but they say he often set the pace, as his awards show. Richards served overseas or out-of-state for the better part of the last 10 years, and Pugh last saw him before the Army, when Richards was a QuikTrip manager.

"Life is so precious, and if you haven't talked to your friends in 10 years you need to write them a letter or give them a call and just let them know," Pugh said.

"He was very well loved by everybody, and we're all proud of him," said Randeau.

Richards nearly lost his left leg in the roadside bomb attack. The cause of his death is not known though, and officials say that might take up to 90 days.

Richard was buried at Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Muskogee County. He leaves behind his wife and his 11-year-old son.

Watch the video: Oklahoma Soldier Laid To Rest

Related Story:

7/30/2007 Soldier Dies From Wounds Sustained In Iraq