MOSES LAKE — Time passes and with that comes the loss of people, but this does not mean that the stories those people tell should be lost with them. Richard Black, a resident of Moses Lake and veteran, has one such story involving renowned musician Tony Bennett and Richard’s father, Herbert “Blackie” Black, who both fought in a battle in World War II that would change their lives forever. 

“I still miss Blackie; I think about him all the time,” Bennett told Richard in a backstage recording for Richard’s parents after a performance later in his career. “I hope everything’s well with you, and I’ve always got him in my prayers and everything. Always, because he saved our lives when we were on the line that day.” 

The story begins with the 63rd Infantry Division, also known as the “Blood and Fire” Division, which took part in the defense of Alsace, a region in Northeastern France near the Rhine River, against the Wehrmacht during Operation NORDWIND in WWII. According to Matthew J. Seelinger, in an article on armyhistory.org, the 63rd Infantry spent only 119 days in combat, but played an important role in bolstering the US Seventh Army in its final push into Nazi Germany, which led to the Allied victory in May 1945. 

Bennett, who was then known by his full name Anthony Dominick Benedetto, joined the U.S. Army at the age of 18 and left his home in New York to go through Basic Training at Fort Dix and Fort Robinson before being sent away to Europe to fight with the 63rd. 

“He said he was going to get drafted anyway,” said Richard. 

The 63rd Infantry was stationed in France in the Moselle-Lorraine region in December 1944, about 40 miles west of Saarbrucken, Germany. Richard said the mission for the 63rd was to break through the Seigfried line on the border of Germany, which stood as one of the last Nazi defenses.  

The goal was for the 63rd to make their way to the Seigfried line and swing down through Colmar, Germany, to take the fight through Central and Southern Germany. This mission is what brought Private Bennett and a 26-year-old Private Herbert Black, Richard’s father, together in B Company, 255th Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry. 

On Jan. 3, 1945, the 63rd moved through the small French town of Achen, where they came under fire from enemy forces.  

“The Germans were in the upper buildings. Snipers. There was machine gun bursts and a tank came around the corner of the building,” Richard explained. “Our American soldiers are engaging the enemy ... and my dad, beside his pistol and a rifle over his shoulder, also was holding a bazooka. And my father stood 50 yards in front of that Panzer tank while taking fire and my dad got shot in the shoulder; he got shot in his foot; but he fired that bazooka and luckily scored a direct hit under the turret.” 

With the tank destroyed, the American soldiers gained the advantage to take care of the rest of the Germans and claim the town as they continued their push toward Germany. Bennett and Herbert Black, along with the rest of the 63rd Infantry, went on to liberate two concentration camps, Kaufering and a subcamp of Dachau, toward the end of the war. 

“What was really nice, in the year 2000, (the 63rd Infantry) got the official recognition as a liberating armed force of the United States Army of liberating two concentration camps, and that is all designated at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.,” Richard said. 

He said that while serving in Germany, his father met his mother, Hilda, while on a tank ride with Bennett.  

Herbert received the Silver Star and Purple Heart on June 28, 1945, for his heroics on the battlefield in January that saved the lives of those he served with. After WWII, he went on to serve in both the Korean and Vietnam wars before finally retiring from the military in the 1970s. 

Following the war, Bennett stayed serving in Germany, where he then started singing with a band that travelled to all of the newly established U.S. Army camps. In early 1946, he returned to New York and was later recognized for his singing abilities by Pearl Bailey and Bob Hope, leading to Bennett’s rise to fame. 

Bennett became a peace advocate following his time with the military and was highly against armed conflict throughout the 1960s, following what he experienced on the battlefield, said Richard Black. During this time, Bennett released some of his most iconic songs, including “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” which became the official song of San Francisco in 196,9 according to the Museum of the City of San Francisco. 

Both Herbert and Bennett stayed close throughout the years, said Richard, as the two would have long phone calls with one another, catching up on life. The last time his parents attended one of Bennett’s concerts was during his 1996 tour when Bennett visited Berlin. Both of Richard’s parents can be seen in recordings of the concert in the front row, being greeted by Bennett. 

“It was so beautiful last time in Germany when I met him, it was such a beautiful, unforgettable night,” said Bennett in the audio recording to Richard Black’s parents. 

Richard also maintained a strong relationship with Bennett over the years, attending multiple concerts and visiting backstage.  

“All the years that I saw Tony, growing up, going to his concerts and his art shows, he would always say, ‘Richard, never forget if it wasn’t for your father, me and those other guys would have never made it,’” Richard said. 

One of the last performances of Bennett’s that he attended was May 28, 2015, when Richard got to meet Lady Gaga backstage during the Cheek to Cheek tour. During the encounter, Black offered her a copy of the photo of his father and Bennett together during WWII. 

“I’m showing her the picture; she gets really moved and almost starts to cry,” said Richard Black. “I hand her the photo ... and I said, ‘You know what, I have so many copies, would you like this?’ and she goes, ‘Yes, I want to take it home and put it on my wall in my room.’” 

Both Bennett and Herbert have since passed on, but their memories and heroics are kept alive through Richard, who has amassed a collection of memorabilia of both his father and Bennett over the years. Through his father’s bravery, an icon survived to become a star, and through his retellings, a piece of history has been allowed to live on forever. 

The patch of the 63rd Infantry Division, the “Blood and Fire” Division from World War II, the original photo of Tony Bennett, left, and Herbert Black, middle, during the war and Herbert Black’s 1st Cavalry Division Patch from his service in Vietnam.

A collection of photos from Herbert Black’s time serving in Vietnam, with the bottom right being taken when he finally completed his service with the U.S. Army. Richard Black said his father, Herbert, was 47 at the time when he was first called to serve in Vietnam.

Richard Black, right, and Tony Bennett stand together in a signed photo. Black said he attended many of Bennett’s concerts over the years and both he and his father remained close with the singer.

In 2015, Richard Black met Lady Gaga during her and Tony Bennett’s "Cheek to Cheek" tour. Backstage Black gave Lady Gaga a copy of the photo of his father and Bennett from the war, which he said she still has displayed in her house to this day.

Herbert Black’s headstone at the Arlington National Cemetery. The decorated veteran served in three wars and earned the Purple Heart and Silver Star for his bravery during World War II.

Richard Black’s parents, Herbert and Hilda, in a picture taken in 1950. The two met soon after the end of World War II in Germany.