Rigapoulos John

Monuments

Waal River Crossing Memorial - 82nd Airborne Division

Name:

John Rigapoulos

Rank:

Private First Class

Serial Number:

11105947

Unit:

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Date of Death:

1944-09-20

State:

Massachusetts

Cemetery:

Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

John Rigapoulos was born on December 20, 1921, in Massachusetts. He was the son of Andreas (Andrew) Leo Rigopoulos (Rigas) and Demetra (Rigas) Rigopoulos Melonas.

John entered service on October 28, 1942, in Springfield, Mass. He served in Company H, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, as a Private First Class. He participated in several reconnaissance missions (Pathfinders) in Italy and Normandy. He was Killed in action on September 20, 1944, during Operation Market Garden while participating in the Waal River crossing, the heroic crossing that liberated Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He was one of the 49 paratroopers killed during the assault on German positions on the opposite bank. PFC Rigapoulos is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov