Richard W. Cunningham was born on 17 May 1921 in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up and attended high school in Los Angeles, California. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 24 December 1941 and completed recruit training on 31 January 1942. In May 1942, Private First Class Cunningham was transferred to the Public Relations Office at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, San Diego as a staff artist for the base newspaper, the Chevron. In May 1943, Cunningham was appointed non-commissioned officer in charge of the Public Relations Office, having been promoted to sergeant. He was promoted again to gunnery sergeant in January 1944. Gunnery Sergeant Cunningham transferred to the Marine Detachment of USS California in March 1944 and served on that ship until December 1945. He was paid off a month later. Cunningham joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1947 and was called to active duty during the Korean emergency, serving from May 1950 to September 1951.
From the description of Richard W. Cunningham collection, 1941-1996 (bulk 1941-1945). (Colgate University). WorldCat record id: 60492842
