Handrich first entered the Army in August 1942. He was a member of 1st Company, 2d Regiment (1-2), First Special Service Force (FSSF) ("The Devil's Brigade") and later Company I, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division. He participated in the recapture of Kiska (August 15, 1943), part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign, and saw action in Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany.