Sidney Riches’ attraction to the Army was in part inspired by his late uncle’s service in World War I. Riches enlisted in 1940, seeing extensive duty in the Pacific. In a letter to his father in 1942, he wrote, “Sure hate to think of leaving and facing the possibility of not coming back but, what the hell, somebody has to do the job and it might as well be part of the Riches’ family as it was in the last war.” Discharged in 1946, Riches re-enlisted two years later and his second tour of duty took him to Japan, where he met veterans who were once his enemies, and briefly to Korea. Medical problems shortened his wartime duty, but by serving in the reserves Riches stayed connected to the Army until his retirement in 1968.
We honor you, Sidney Riches.
