Riehl, William K. (13043367)

William K. Riehl
Personal details
Born	1920
Died	2021
Nativity	*
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	13043367
Enlisted	Baltimore, Maryland

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William K. Riehl (1920–2021) was a Ritchie Boy (from *) who trained at Camp Ritchie.

Biography

This past Wednesday, I was able to meet with 98-year old Ritchie Boy William "Bill" Riehl at his residence outside of Baltimore, MD. Everytime I learn about a Ritchie Boy, I am amazed at the different experiences each one went through during WWII. Bill Riehl is no exception. He enlisted in the US Army on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. According to Bill, he went to the recruitment office in Baltimore on December 7, but the line was so long he had to come back the next day. Here is a photo of Bill Riehl with two of his sons Fred (left) and Matthew (right) who shared details of Bill's service in the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC). Also below is a lighter given to Bill in recognition of his work as the Chairman of the 1952 National CIC Association Convention. More to follow.

Below are two documents related to Ritchie Boy Bill Riehl's service in WWII. The first is a 1945 Certificate of Appreciation to M/Sgt William Riehl from the State of Maryland for his service. The second is an Order awarding the Good Conduct Medal to Bill and others on the staff of the Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, Intelligence Division, Third Service Command, US Army, Baltimore, MD, for their "exemplary behavior, efficiency, and behavior."

In this photograph, Bill Riehl (second from left) is seen with his Commanding Officer (left). In his work in Counterintelligence, Bill wore civilian clothes even though he had the rank of M/Sgt. RB Bill Riehl was assigned to conduct counterintelligence related to possible spying against the US's aircraft industry. As part of his training, Bill Riehl attended Field Service Training.

Ritchie Boy William (Bill) Riehl did not serve overseas. While he thought he might have gone to the China Burma India (CBI) Theater, he ended up in the US Army's Counterintelligence Corps. Bill served in the Air Traffic Command under Brigadier General Harold L. George, who signed a photo book about the Air Traffic Commands routes during WWII. The gold badge was what he used to identify himself since he worked in civilian clothing looking for possible spies in the aircraft industry.

These pictures are from the celebration of Ritchie Boy William Riehl's 100th birthday on January 7, 2020. To his left is his niece, Bonnie Riehl. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill and several family members at his apartment in Baltimore County. He served in the CounterIntelligence Corps and his entire service was in the United States in search of German spies and turncoats!

This Thursday, I will be giving a virtual presentation on Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys to the Baltimore County Department of Aging Senior Center network. Bonnie Riehl, niece of Ritchie Boy William Riehl, is the Assistant Director of one of the Senior Centers and has invited her Father to participate. I'm really looking forward to seeing him again! He'll be 101 on January 7, 2021!

Two plus years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting another Ritchie Boy residing in the Washington-Baltimore region. William (Bill) Riehl. RB Riehl volunteered to join the US Army immediately after Pearl Harbor. He trained at Camp Ritchie and served in the United States in the Counter-Intelligence Corps. The pictures below were taken in his apartment where I interviewed him. Recently, I received the following information from Bill Riehl's family. with great sadness we share that William K Riehl of Fort Ritchie passed away on Friday 1/29/2021. It was sudden probably a heart attack or stroke. He was 101 on January 7th. He was in good health and his memory was sharp. We will miss him. It seems that no matter how long someone lives you always want just one more day. Thank you for your interest in his service and his time at Fort Ritchie. He has such memories of Fort Ritchie and you taking time to interview him."

Research notes

• Check with Bernie, 1/22/44
• 1920- A

Gallery

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Technical record

Field	Imported value
Nara ASN	13043367
Nara Name	RIEHL WILLIAM K
Nara State	1
Nara County	007
Nara POE	3110
Nara DOE	111241
Nara Grade Alpha	PVT
Nara Race	1
Nara Race Description	White citizen
Nara Height (inches)	71
Nara Weight (lbs)	154
row_source	demographics

Sources

• Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
• NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
• 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-10-05 (3 posts)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-10-18 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-11-09 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-11-10 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-02-11 (1 post)