Services for D-Day vet on anniversary of Normandy invasion
Richard Rung not only taught history to his students at Wheaton College. He helped make history as a sailor who landed on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion in World War II.
Rung, a Carol Stream resident, died May 23 at age 100. Rung passed away two months after the death of Dorothy Rung, his wife of 76 years.
Services will be held Friday, the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Rung, a motor machinist mechanic, landed at the Fox Red sector of Omaha Beach at 7:31 a.m. on June 6, 1944, as part of the second wave of the invasion.
Speaking last year at a Memorial Day ceremony in Winfield, he said, “On D-Day I went from being a 19-year-old naive seaman to a war vet who literally saw hundreds dead or dying or severely injured right in front of me.”
Serving aboard Landing Craft Tank (LCT) 539, he recalled witnessing a tableau of death and destruction — hundreds of soldiers shot, drowned or lay dead on the beach.
At the moment of landing, the Germans opened fire with mortar shells and machine-gun fire. A mortar shell pierced his vessel's deck and lodged in the skipper’s quarters just a few feet from where he stood.
The experience left a lasting impression on Rung, who also served in the Pacific and took part in the occupation of Japan.
“He said people have asked him, ‘Did the war change you?’ or, “How did the war impact you?’ And he said, ‘If D-Day didn't impact you, there was something wrong with you,’ ” said son-in-law Carl Pickard.
Following his service, Rung devoted himself to the cause of peace and shared his wartime experiences. He earned a Master of Arts in history from Boston University and joined the Wheaton College faculty in 1963, where he taught history and political science for 27 years. He took students overseas for summer seminars, visiting Eastern Europe and Russia.
Rung and his wife lived in Wheaton before moving to Covenant Living at Windsor Park in Carol Stream. He took up oil painting and painted more than 50 early Americana scenes and historical sailing ships.
Toward the end of his life, Rung returned to Normandy, beginning in 2022 with the Best Defense Foundation. Pickard said his father-in-law would ask to be wheeled to the center of the American Cemetery outside of Normandy.
“He would say, “You call me a hero, but I'm not the hero. Those people under those crosses, those are mothers' sons and fathers' sons, and they didn't come home. I did. They're the heroes,’ ”
At the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron presented Rung with the French Legion of Honor. Earlier in the day former President Joe Biden led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate Rung's upcoming 100th birthday.
“He was a great man and an awesome father,” his daughter, Judy Pickard said.
He is survived by two children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 29W260 Batavia Rd., Warrenville, IL 60555, from 2 p.m. Friday, followed by a 3 p.m. service. Memorial gifts may be directed to Best Defense Foundation at bdf.org.