Oral History Interview with Evan Riley, October 26, 2011

Oral History Interview with Evan Riley, October 26, 2011

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Track One 1:28:25

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Evan Riley. Riley was born in Nashville, Tennessee 5 September 1921. At a very young age, he and his four siblings were placed into an orphanage and he tells of growing up during the Depression. Joining the US Army in 1942, he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School and graduated as a second lieutenant in 1943. He then received training in the tank corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After spending several months at Camp Cooke, California, he requested a transfer to an Airborne unit. He was accepted … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 28 min., 24 sec.)

Creation Information

Riley, Evan October 26, 2011.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Riley, Evan

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Evan Riley. Riley was born in Nashville, Tennessee 5 September 1921. At a very young age, he and his four siblings were placed into an orphanage and he tells of growing up during the Depression. Joining the US Army in 1942, he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School and graduated as a second lieutenant in 1943. He then received training in the tank corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After spending several months at Camp Cooke, California, he requested a transfer to an Airborne unit. He was accepted and sent to Fort Benning, Georgia where he transferred from being a tank officer to being an infantry officer. Upon completing his paratroop training he joined the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne Division on Luzon in June 1945. The unit was on Okinawa preparing for the invasion of Japan when Japan surrendered. On 28 August 1945 the unit landed at Atsugi, Japan as a part of the Occupation forces. He was then sent to Sendai where he served for nine months before returning to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Following the end of World War II, Riley remained in the Army and he tells of his various duty stations including Korea, Germany and Vietnam. He retired in 1974 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 28 min., 24 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH03365
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609880

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Evan Riley, October 26, 2011, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606073

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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