John Clark Riley Jr (1919 - 1943)

Born 9 Feb 1919 in Hamburg, Ashley, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Died 1 Aug 1943 at age 24 in Benghazi, Banghāz, Libya

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Biography

Second Lieutanent John Riley Jr Died in Military Service during World War II.

Second Lieutenant John Riley Jr served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started: 3 Apr 1940
Unit(s):
Service ended:

John Riley Jr was born in Arkansas.

John Clark Riley Jr was born on February 9, 1919 in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas.^[1]

In 1920, he lived on Fountain Hill Road in White Township, Ashley County, Arkansas.^[2]

In 1940, he lived at 800 South 26th Street in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. He was working and attending his first year of college.^[3] On February 8th, the same year he was riding in a car with his father John Sr in Monticello, Drew County, Arkansas when Sheriff Johnson pulled the car over for suspicion of driving drunk. Sheriff Johnson told John Sr to let his son drive the rest of the way home, but John Sr pulled a rifle and Johnson shot him several times. John Jr, upon seeing his father shot, grabbed the rifle and fired at the sheriff. His father died on the way to the hospital, and John Jr was arrested for assault and attempted murder. The charges must have been dropped, as he never served any time for the offense.^[4] John continued his education, attending college in hopes of becoming an actor. In 1940, he lived in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas. At age 21, he stood 6 feet and 1 inch in height, weighed about 201 pounds, sallow complexion, black hair, and brown eyes.^[1]

After two years of college, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 3, 1941. After certification as an aircraft mechanic and crew chief, he received a commission and completed initial flight training on November 10, 1942. He was certified as a four engine (B-24D) pilot on January 19, 1943. He was trained at Greenville and Jackson, Mississippi, and promoted to Second Lieutenant on Apr 20, 1943. He was assigned to the 9th Air Force, 93rd Bomb Group (known as the "Traveling Circus"), and the 330th Bomb Squadron in Benghaza, Libya. He was later assigned to the 98th Bomb Group (Heavy), known as the "Pyramiders". He was assigned co-pilot on the B-24D bomber named the Kickapoo. He had flown seven missions when he was given a deadly mission to destroy German oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. During takeoff, their plane, Kickapoo, had a massive #4 engine failure and caught fire. Riley and his Command Pilot Bob Nespor turned the failing bomber out over the sea, jettisoned their bombs, and tried to approach Lete's runway when they began losing power from their last three engines. Losing power, they hit hard on landing, bounced and drifted with the left wing a concrete post, and cartwheeled into the grown bursting into flames. Both pilots, and all but two of the crewmen, were badly burned in the crash. Lt. Riley later died of these wounds on August 1, 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery and sacrifice on the Ploesti mission. Due to the abort after take-off and subsequent crash, Lt. Nespor's crew did not receive mission credit, and their names do not appear in the official AAF History Roster of Personnel for DFCs.^[5] He was buried at Fort Scott National Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas.^[6][7][8][9]

TimeLine

Birth 1919

John Clark Riley Jr was born on February 9, 1919 in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas.^[1]

Residence 1920

John Clark Riley Jr lived on Fountain Hill Road in White Township, Ashley County, Arkansas.^[2]

Residence 1930

John Clark Riley Jr lived on Gravel Road in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas.^[10]

Residence 1940

John Clark Riley Jr lived at 800 South 26th Street in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas.^[3]

Residence 1940

John Clark Riley Jr lived in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas.^[1]

Death 1943

John Clark Riley Jr died on August 1, 1943 in Benghaza, Libya.^[5]

Burial

John Clark Riley Jr was buried at Fort Scott National Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas.^[6][7][8]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947: The National Archives at Fort Worth, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Arkansas, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147 Ancestry Record 2238 #4270017
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} 1920 United States Federal Census: Year: 1920; Census Place: White, Ashley, Arkansas; Roll: T625_53; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 10 Ancestry Record 6061 #65035701
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} 1940 United States Federal Census: Year: 1940; Census Place: Fort Smith, Sebastian, Arkansas; Roll: m-t0627-00175; Page: 20A; Enumeration District: 66-51 Ancestry Record 2442 #101035784
4. ↑ Newspaper Clipping, Arkansas Gazette, February 10, 1942. "Clark Riley Given Liberty on Bond at Monticello." Accessed 17 Aug 2022
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} American Air Museum in Britain, "Second Lieutenant John Clark Riley Jr." Accesse 17 Aug 2022
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962: Ancestry.com. U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962. Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. NAID: 5833879. Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985. The National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO. Ancestry Record 2590 #1941178
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} U.S., Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019: National Cemetery Administration; U.S. Veterans' Gravesites Ancestry Record 8750 #2564080
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111593078/john-clark-riley: accessed 17 August 2022), memorial page for 2LT John Clark Riley Jr. (1919–1943), Find A Grave: Memorial #111593078, citing Hamburg Cemetery, Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by YankeeGraver (contributor 47149312). Hometown cenotaph.
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1120128/john-clark-riley: accessed 18 September 2022), memorial page for 2LT John Clark Riley (9 Feb 1919–1 Aug 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1120128, citing Fort Scott National Cemetery, Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas, USA; Maintained by John Dowdy (contributor 47791572) .
10. ↑ 1930 United States Federal Census: Year: 1930; Census Place: Hamburg, Ashley, Arkansas; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0005; FHL microfilm: 2339799 Ancestry Record 6224 #110404557