Probably all of you have seen this famous photo of a GI hugging Omaha Beach for cover on June 6th, 1944. For more than sixty years he remained unidentified. His name is Huston S. Riley, who was a PFC with the First Infantry Division, who came ashore with the first wave on Fox Green Beach that morning.
He now lives on Mercer Island..a suburb of Seattle Washington. Ever since this story broke in 2007 I have been meaning to write him a letter to thank him and the other men he served with for what they did for our country and for the people of Europe. Since he lives here in Washington state it was not difficult to find his mailing address, so after I went through the mental process of "should I or shouldn't I" try to contact him I decided a short letter would probably not be invading his privacy. I also squirreled up the courage to ask him for a signed copy of that famous photograph, and just 4 days later (today) I received a happy surprise in my mailbox, which I am sharing with you now :-)
I guess the Internet will always be a conduit for the latest gossip and rumors, and most I just ignore, but felt this one deserved some attention from yours truly.
A few weeks ago I received a letter from someone saying they could not obtain their relatives unit records. They said NARA had stated it was part of a government dictate to clear space, etc. I couldn't believe it. Then I heard about it again, and...
Get this through your heads right now; NARA IS NOT DESTROYING RECORDS! The following is from a government site:
Is the National Archives and Records Administration destroying military personnel files?
They are not being destroyed. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserves and protects the files because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for veterans. However, there is a rumor circulating on the Internet that advises veterans to apply for their Official Military Personnel Files to save them from destruction. There is no truth to this "urban legend" being perpetuated on the Web.
End of story, plain and simple. Marion has spoken.
Another great piece of documentation from the archives at Fort Leonard Wood. Thanks Dave!
This is a brief history of the 232nd Engineer Combat Co, an integral part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team - Written by T/5 George Goto, Unit Historian and supplied by Kenji J. Yaguchi.
It was the only Company in United States Army history, to be composed of all Japanese-Americans officers and enlisted personnel. They trained as a separate unit (company) and were activated on Feb 7, 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
