Serving His Country, Supporting His Family

By Jack Emery

Joseph C. Riggs

August 10,1898 – d. June 17, 1967

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Riggs’ Headstone at Ft. Logan National Cemetery (Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3368223/joseph-c-riggs)

Serving one’s country and supporting one’s family can often go hand in hand. That was definitely the case for Joseph Riggs, who started working to provide for his family at just 15 years old after his father died. It did not take long for Joseph to turn his attention to the U.S. Marine Corps after America’s entry into World War One, and the young man was sent overseas to fight. After the war, Joseph again returned to supporting his widowed mother and his younger siblings before starting his own family.

Joseph C. Riggs was born on August 10, 1898 in Kennett, Missouri to Louis and Annie Riggs.[1] Joseph had one older brother, Ralph; a twin sister, Cloe; and two younger sisters, Mary and Glatis.[2] Unfortunately for the Riggs family, Louis passed away in 1913, leaving Joseph and his four siblings without a father.[3] After his father’s death, Joseph dedicated himself to helping his family get by; but things changed with the United States’ entry into World War One.[4]

On December 18, 1917, Joseph Riggs enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and likely deployed to France with the 6th Marine Regiment.[5] The 6th Marines landed in France in early 1918 where they were trained rigorously in trench warfare by their French allies near the Verdun sector.[6] At the end of May 1918, the 6th Marine Regiment fought off a German offensive in the Chateau-Thierry sector; and by June the Marines were on the offensive, fighting one of the Marine Corps’ most legendary battles at Belleau Wood.[7] The Battle of Belleau Wood was bloody for the relatively inexperienced Americans, with the Marines suffering 1,062 dead and 7,253 wounded by the end of the operation on June 26, 1918.[8] Belleau Wood especially became entrenched in the Marine Corps’ mythology following the war due to the Marines’ heroic charge against a formidable foe in order to achieve victory. It was at Belleau Wood that, so the legend goes, the Marines were bestowed the nickname “Devil Dogs” by their German adversaries due to their tenacious and ferocious fighting style.[9]

WWI Marine Recruitment Poster (World War 1 Centennial, https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/usmc-in-ww1/850-a-brief-history-of-u-s-marine-corps-action-in-europe-during-world-war-i.html)

After Belleau Wood, the 6th Marines were placed in reserve in order to recoup the losses from Belleau until mid-July when they were once again called upon to “[advance] across level ground without any concealment and in perfect view of the enemy.”[10] Just like Belleau Wood, casualties were very high for the Marines, who were once again transferred to quiet sector for much need R&R. The 6th Marines continued to fight through France, participating in the St. Mihiel Offensive and the taking of Blanc Mont Ridge and St. Etienne before joining the Meuse-Argonne offensive in late October.[11] Compared to the other Allied powers, like Britain and France, the casualties suffered by the 6th Marines in battles like Belleau Wood and St. Mihiel seem light. However, considering how small the American Expeditionary Force was and how they were only in Europe for about a year of fighting, the losses were staggering, especially for inexperienced Marines like Joseph.

After the war, the 6th Marine Regiment remained in Europe, occupying the Rhine region of Germany until June of 1919.[12] The 6th Marines unit deactivated on August 13, 1919, which is when Joseph’s time in the Marine Corps came to an end.[13] It is not known exactly when, but during Joseph’s time in the military, he was wounded in action and was awarded a Purple Heart.[14]

After the war, Joseph returned to Missouri to support his mother and three younger sisters, taking a job as a loader at an automobile plant in Kennett.[15] In 1920, Joseph met Bessie Peck, a dressmaker from Elsie, Michigan, and the two married on July 1, 1920.[16] In 1921, Joseph continued his military service by enlisting one year in the Missouri National Guard.[17] Later in his life, Joseph moved to Colorado where he worked at Wilson Engraving Co. in Pueblo.[18] Joseph married Helen Irene Stanfield Bacchieri, and in 1937, the pair had a son, Joseph Garry Riggs.[19] Joseph continued to work to support Helen and Garry—just as he had done for his mother and sisters when answering the call to service in 1917—until his passing on June 17, 1967.[20] Joseph’s son, Garry, followed in his father’s footsteps and served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam; they are both buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery.[21]

Footnotes ↓

[1] “1900 United States Federal Census,” entry for Joseph C Riggs, database, accessed August 10, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4118776_00084?usePUB=true&_phsrc=prF165&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=76167989 .

[2] “1920 United States Federal Census,” entry for Joseph C Riggs, database, accessed August 10, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4312397-00375?pId=78236627.

[3] “Louis Riggs,” Find A Grave, n.d., accessed August 14, 2021, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52099428/louis-riggs.

[4] Sandra Knispel, “Why did the U.S. enter World War I?” University of Rochester, April 5, 2017, https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/looking-back-100-years-u-s-enters-world-war-i-on-april-6-1917/.

[5] “U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019,” entry for Joseph C Riggs, database, accessed August 14, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/2562069:8750?tid=&pid=&queryId=c5e89be610c63a5d1b1da76e4832b024&_phsrc=prF176&_phstart=successSource. In my research I was unable to find specific confirmation that Joseph did indeed fight with the 6th Marine Regiment during the First World War. However, given the fact that Joseph was awarded a Purple Heart, which is given to Americans who are wounded in action, I was able to confirm that Joseph did in fact see enough fighting to be wounded in Europe. My other piece of evidence that connects Joseph to the 6th Marines is that his service end-date and the date that the 6th Marines were demobilized are the same, August 13, 1919. Given these two facts I speculate that Joseph did fight with the 6th Marines.

[6] “A Brief History of U.S. Marine Corps Action in Europe During World War I,” The United States World War One Centennial Commission, Reserve Branch Marine Corps History Division, 2007, https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/usmc-in-ww1/850-a-brief-history-of-u-s-marine-corps-action-in-europe-during-world-war-i.html.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ryan Pickrell, “These are 10 of the toughest and most important battles US Marines ever fought,” Business Insider, November 10, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-some-of-the-most-iconic-battles-the-us-marines-ever-fought-2018-11.

[10] “A Brief History of U.S. Marine Corps Action in Europe During World War I,” The United States World War One Centennial Commission, Reserve Branch Marine Corps History Division, 2007, https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/usmc-in-ww1/850-a-brief-history-of-u-s-marine-corps-action-in-europe-during-world-war-i.html.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] “U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019,” entry for Joseph C Riggs, database, accessed August 14, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/2562069:8750?tid=&pid=&queryId=c5e89be610c63a5d1b1da76e4832b024&_phsrc=prF176&_phstart=successSource.

[14] “Joseph C Riggs,” Find A Grave, n.d., accessed August 10, 2021, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3368223/joseph-c-riggs.

[15] “1920 United States Federal Census,” entry for Joseph C Riggs, database, accessed August 10, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4312397-00375?pId=78236627.

[16]“Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952 for Joseph Riggs,” database, accessed August 14, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/9093/images/41326_342335-00527?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=c5e89be610c63a5d1b1da76e4832b024&usePUB=true&_phsrc=prF169&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=891679.

[17] Missouri, U.S., Pre-World War II Adjutant General Enlistment Contracts, 1900-1941,” entry for Joseph C Riggs, database, accessed August 14, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/62169/images/FS_101716723_01460?usePUB=true&_phsrc=prF203&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=296921.

[18] “Joseph C Riggs,” Find A Grave, n.d., accessed August 10, 2021, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3368223/joseph-c-riggs.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Ibid.

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