Robert Rineer was born in May 1922 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He grew up with a twin brother and two sisters. His father left his family when Rineer was 12 years old. His mother found a job at a department store. His father drove a trolley and bus. Rineer attended high school in Lancaster, graduated in 1940, and then did three years of technical school in Kansas City, Missouri and obtained a license in radio. He found a job at a radio station in Lancaster. After the war, he worked for RCA radio for 17 years before he was laid off. He was unaware of the rising hostilities in Japan and Europe. He first heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] while he was working at a store. He was shocked by the news because he was concerned about the future of the country and going into war. One day he received his draft notice and was told to report to Lancaster railroad station. Rineer was nervous about what was going to happen. Rineer and his twin brother were drafted at the same time and sent to Texas and Florida, respectively. Rineer did his basic infantry training in Texas where the weather conditions were very hot. He was then transferred to artillery training. He was then transferred again to join his twin brother at Barksdale Field, Louisiana and became a member of the Air Corps. He enjoyed being in the Air Corps more than the Army infantry.

Robert Rineer served in the Army Air Corps during World War 2. He was assigned as an instructor, and then worked in a control tower. He volunteered to go overseas because he felt his duties were too monotonous. He was given orders to report to California to head overseas. He signed a statement that he would not reveal his location or where he was going to his friends and family. Two friends and Rineer went out in Hollywood one night and took a picture to send to his family. They asked a bartender to mail the pictures to them. After a week, he boarded a ship and the voyage took 36 days before they docked India. He boarded a train and went northwest of the country where he disembarked at Dinjan, India. He was assigned to a crew as a radioman [Annotator’s Note: as part of the 443rd Operations Group, 10th Air Force]. Rineer was aboard a cargo ship, a C-46 [Annotator’s Note: Curtiss C-46 Commando], where he performed miscellaneous tasks, such as checking the hydraulic fluid and making sure the door was closed properly before take-off. They made “valley runs” constantly. During his first mission, he was scared. He simmered down after the first trip because he became familiar with how things went during a mission. He went on 39 Hump [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China] missions. He had one close call when leaving China. One of his engines was having a fit, but his co-pilot was mechanically inclined and told the pilot to land the plane. They found a field to land in. When they got out of the plane, a bunch of natives surrounded them pointing weapons at them. The natives inspected the plane, while the co-pilot fixed the engine. The pilot conversed with one of the Chinese men and Rineer and his crew were given the okay to go. They had a safe flight back to India.

Robert Rineer was assigned to a crew as a radioman [Annotator’s Note: as part of the 443rd Operations Group, 10th Air Force] in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War 2. His missions were to bring supplies to China and India over the Hump [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China]. He was aware that the route his plane took was very treacherous and anything that went wrong could be fatal. He flew the Hump every day, seven days a week. He worked all the time and only had enough time to eat and sleep. He lived in India during the monsoon season and it rained for 36 days straight. He lived in a four-man tent. His whole outfit was moved to southern China, and the war ended. Rineer’s crew then transported Chinese troops to different parts of China after the Japanese surrendered [Annotator’s Note: surrender was announced 15 August 1945]. Rineer did not talk to any of the Chinese men, but his pilot conversed with them. After the Chinese men left the plane, the crew had to clean the plane because they were so dirty. Rineer did not do anything for fun, except drink beer and play cards. He went to a couple of towns, but he could not understand the language of the locals. He exchanged some of his American money for an abundance of Chinese money to buy souvenirs. He wrote to his fiancée while he was overseas. They married when he returned to the United States. He stayed in southern China for about three months before he returned to the United States. He thought it was odd that all the planes used in the China-Burma-India theater were left in a field. He wonders what ever happened to them. He thought the atomic bomb [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] was wonderful because it ended the war. On the ship back to the United States, there was very bad weather that forced the ship to delay their arrival in Seattle [Annotation Note: Seattle, Washington].

After Robert Rineer was discharged from the Army Air Corps, he married his fiancée and then used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to go to school. He would not have been able to go to school if it was not for G.I. Bill. His twin brother served stateside during World War 2. Rineer’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was his first mission over the Hump [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China]. He was very scared. He is glad that he served his country. Men need to serve in the military to understand discipline and respect for others. Some Americans do not respect the American flag the way they should, and he tries to get people to get involved in veteran events. Rineer believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. He feels honored to be doing this interview.