Ray Riseden

Colonel Ray Riseden was commissioned a Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School Class 3, 12 December 1941. His first duty assignments was as 45th  Infantry Division Camp Barkley, Texas. | When the radio informed us that Pearl Harbor was under serious attack that Sunday morning, 7 December 1941, I had gotten up early and was in the orderly room typing out my resignation from the class (OCS 3-41), as I had concluded that I did not want to be a second lieutenant called to active duty for only a year. I wanted to return to my job as sergeant major, Fort Mears, Aleutian Islands, U.S.-Dutch Harbor. I preferred to be a big fish in a little pool to being a minnow in a big pool. I already had nearly six years service. I quickly changed my mind upon hearing the news that morning and it was a good decision, as it turned out. | In a way you might say that in the earliest years, I was a “clerk” in regimental headquarters, 1st Infantry, Fort Warren (Cheyenne), Wyoming, but was good at it, and a color sergeant, middleweight champ for Fort Warren to Alaska in early ’41 to Fort Mears, AK. (Dutch Harbor). After graduation in Dec 41, Panama, Commander of heavy machine gun platoon, then 37mm Anti-Tank guarding Canal approaches, then selected to be commander of the newly-formed, 14th Infantry Jungle Platoon. The Army’s knowledge of jungle warfare was nil; and we were formed to devise techniques, tactics, and equipment for the anticipated Pacific operations. I wrote the Army’s original pamphlet (30 or 40 pages) titled “Jungle Warfare” following our few months of totally free, unsupervised operations. Compared to what is known now, you can imagine how primitive, basic and generalized it was. Even then, it was about all we knew. I had my 15 minutes of fame in June-July of 1942. | As a result of that experience (as a reward?) was detailed to Air Corps, trained in intelligence work, and sent to Peru, then to Ecuador (with additional duty as provost marshal), then back to Panama to command a squadron at France Field, then back to States to command the station complement of the P47N fighter-pilot training base in Nebraska, thence to Ie Shima (Okinawa) as executive of fighter squadron. When the war ended, I became assistant adjutant general of the 8th Air Force (which quickly, with the wars end became the First Air Division) on Okinawa proper. Back to the States in 1948, to Air command Command and Staff School- Comptroller. Next 16 years spent as Comptroller (chief financial officer) wherever I was stationed- Tennessee, Europe, Aisa, Aftica, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico, Fourteen of my thirty years, I served overseas - forty countries and all 50 states. | Following retirement from the Air Force, Colonel Riseden worked another 15 years as a comptroller, administrator, etc., of large general hospitals in the Massachusetts area.