It Started with Stories and a Box of Family Records

Written by Rachel Riley

Creating this book was a true labor of love. My son Bill Riley and I had talked about putting Uncle Bill’s stories down on paper for several years.  That means he had asked me to start writing and tell his stories before they were lost to time and memory. 

The event that triggered our action was my attending a meeting of the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society on January 16, 2024.  The speaker was Jennifer Holik, a wonderful and knowledgeable woman, who consulted and advised people on researching their veterans and writing military family histories.  Later that week, Bill Riley and I had our first telephonic meeting with her.  Now that we had someone to organize and manage the book project, I became eager to begin.

The first step for me was to search my home for resources.  Knowing that I was the family keeper of records and photographs, I began to open boxes containing photos and Overstreet documents from my previous genealogy work.  The biggest thrills were finding (again) my grandmother’s clipping book of wartime newspaper articles and Aunt Nita’s scrapbook.  It was like the Gold Rush of 1848. 

My basement took on the atmosphere of a veritable archaeological dig.  We were certainly fortunate to have access to family records and lots of photographs!  I knew they were there, but I had never taken the time to study and evaluate them. Thus began the start of our book about Uncle Bill.

Starting with stories, reunion memories, and our family archives, the next job was research.  Jennifer took the lead and used her researchers to uncover official records. When the research was complete and we knew what we had, the timeline was built and major questions answered, it was time for us to write.

This writing project was greatly influenced by my attendance at several 357^th Fighter Group Associations reunions and mini-reunions.  I had the honor of meeting and speaking with many of the Group’s veterans and hearing their stories. The reunions are definitely one of the best memories of my life.  Bill Riley came to a couple of them, and this made Uncle Bill ecstatically happy.

Writing a book is not a quick month-long endeavor. Bill Riley and I spent almost two years writing, revising, adding, and sometimes deleting, before we felt the draft was worthy of a professional edit and publishing. It was quite a long-term exploration.

So, Uncle Bill, I hope you approve of the job we have done to tell your stories and honor your memory. We made it a priority to also share the sacrifices made by your buddies, especially Capt. Eddie Simpson, and honor Eddie’s memory.  We will never forget the 357^th and will continue to tell your story.