William Edward Riley (February 2, 1897 – April 28, 1970) was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, who served on the staff of Admiral

William Halsey Jr. William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He is also Chief of Staff of the

United Nations Truce Supervision Organization The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) is an organization founded on 29 May 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East. Established amidst the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, its primary task was initially to provide the military com ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

Early career

William E. Riley was born on February 2, 1897, in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. He attended the

College of St. Thomas A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, and graduated in June 1917 with

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree. Riley decided to enlist as private to the

during his studies and after graduation, he was commissioned

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Marine Corps. He was subsequently assigned to the Marine Corps Rifle Range in Winthrop, Maryland for basic training. After the finishing of his training, Riley was appointed a platoon leader within the 74th Company, 1st Battalion,

6th Marine Regiment The 6th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "6th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The regiment falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division (Unite ...

and sailed for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in October 1917. The 6th Regiment participated in the further training activities after its arrival, before entered the trenches in Toulon sector near

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

in March 1918. During the April of the same year, Germans used combat gas and 74th Company was almost wiped out. Second Lieutenant Riley was also wounded, but he was able to return soon to the frontline, but was transferred to the 95th Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Riley participated in the famous

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisi ...

in June 1918 and also in the Battle of Château-Thierry, where he was awarded the

Silver Star Citation The Citation Star was a Department of War personal valor decoration issued as a ribbon device which was first established by the United States Congress on July 9, 1918 (Bulletin No. 43, War Dept. 1918). When awarded, a silver star was placed o ...

for gallantry in action. He was also promoted to rank of first lieutenant on July 1, 1918. During the Battle of Soissons, Riley participated in the frontal attack. When the company commander was mortally wounded, Riley assumed command of the company and led it forward under heavy enemy machine gun and artillery fire until he himself was severely wounded. His wounds were so serious, that Riley was evacuated back to the United States in December 1918. For his leadership of the company, Riley was decorated with his second Silver Star Citation for heroism in action. He was also awarded the Croix de guerre with Guilt Star and ''

Fourragère The ''fourragère'' () is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fou ...

'' by the Government of France.

World War II

With the United States entry to

, Riley still served as Fleet Marine Officer with

Atlantic Squadron The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Stat ...

under the command of Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll. During that time, Riley was promoted to rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on January 1, 1942. At the end of April 1942, Colonel Riley was transferred to the War Plans Division within Headquarters of commander in chief,

United States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 ...

, where he served under the command of Admiral Ernie King. For his outstanding service in that capacity, Riley was decorated with

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

. On April 1, 1943, Riley was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and transferred to the Pacific theater, where he was appointed Assistant War Plans officer on the staff of Commander

South Pacific Area The South Pacific Area (SOPAC) was a multinational U.S.-led military command active during World War II. It was a part of the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas under Admiral Chester Nimitz. The delineation and establishment of the Pacific Ocean Areas was ...

under Admiral

William Halsey William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American United States Navy, Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star Fleet admiral (United States), f ...

. He was later appointed assistant chief of staff of war plans within South Pacific Area Command. In this capacity, admiral Halsey asked Riley for advice in the matter of

I Marine Amphibious Corps The I Marine Amphibious Corps, or I MAC, was a formation of the United States Marine Corps. It was created on 1 October 1942, with most of the staff transferred from Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet (ACPF). It was then deployed to the South Pacific ...

new commander. Both agreed on the name of major general

Roy S. Geiger General Roy Stanley Geiger (January 25, 1885 – January 23, 1947) was a United States Marine Corps four-star General (United States), general who served in World War I and World War II. In World War II, he became the first Marine Corps general to ...

. During his service in this capacity, Riley was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

and later also with

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

. The citation for his Navy Distinguished Service Medal reads: Riley later served again under admiral Halsey as assistant chief of staff of war plans within his

United States Third Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering S ...

. Riley participated with this command in the Palau Island Campaign and Philippines Campaign and later in 1944 served as advisor to Admiral Halsey on amphibious and ground operations in the Western Pacific and Southwest Pacific areas. For his service in this capacity, Riley was awarded his second Legion of Merit with

Combat "V" Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

. On May 12, 1945, Riley was transferred to the

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...

under the command of Major General

Graves B. Erskine General Graves Blanchard Erskine (June 28, 1897May 21, 1973) was a United States Marine Corps officer who led the 3rd Marine Division (United States), 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Early life and education ...

and served as assistant division commander. Division was stationed on

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

at that time. On October 21, Graves was transferred back to the United States and Riley was appointed commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division. He only oversaw the inactivation of the division, which was finished on December 28, 1945.

Postwar career

Jerusalem, Folke Bernadotte (997008872618205171) (cropped)

Riley returned from the Pacific and was appointed director, Division of Public Information within

Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

serving until June 1946, when he was appointed director, Division of Recruiting. On May 31, 1948, Riley was transferred to

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmingt ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, where he was detached for brief period to

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina ...

. During the August 1948, Riley was sent to

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and was appointed Commander of the

(UNTSO). In this capacity, he served as Senior US observer in Palestine, who was in charge of co-ordination of assistance and inspecting of US observers under mediator

Folke Bernadotte Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (2 January 1895 – 17 September 1948) was a Swedish nobleman and diplomat. In World War II he negotiated the release of about 31,000 prisoners from German concentration camps, including 450 Danish Jews fr ...

. During that time, he was also promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and was involved in the "Barrel Incident". Riley retired from the Marine Corps in June 1953. He was advanced to the rank of

on the retired list due to having been specially commended in combat. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, Riley was appointed deputy director for management of

United States Foreign Operations Administration The Foreign Operations Administration was created in 1953 under the directorship of Harold Stassen. Its purpose "was intended to centralize all governmental operations, as distinguished from policy formulation, that had as their purpose the cooper ...

in September 1953. Within this agency, he was appointed director of United States Operations Mission in Turkey. He finally retired in May 1955. Riley died on April 28, 1970, in Naval Hospital in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He was survived by his wife Katherine and son William E. Riley Jr., and daughter Katherine E. Ward. His son was also career Marine Corps officer, who served in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and was decorated multiple times, including award of the Legion of Merit with Combat "V". They are all buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Lieutenant General Riley:

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, William E. 1897 births 1970 deaths Military personnel from Minneapolis United States Marine Corps generals United Nations military personnel United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps World War II generals University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)