July 21, 1944

Corporal Bob Riley led a rifle squad assault on a Japanese machine gun emplacement on Guam that nearly cost him his life. His wounds kept him hospitalized for more than a year and left him with severely impaired vision, battered limbs, and constant pain. Riley’s later career in state and local politics spanned four decades and culminated in two terms as lieutenant governor (1971–1975) and eleven days as governor (1975).