W. Richard Rankin served in the U.S. Navy as an Ensign on the Aircraft carrier U.S.S Langley during World War II. A pilot, he was cited for meritorious achievement in making raids on strategic Japanese airfields and other ground installations in the vicinity of Kyushu, Japan, in the Ryukyu Islands between March 18 and 23, 1945. He was reported missing in action on March 23, 1945. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial and honored with the Air Medal and a Purple Heart.