Williams Riggs was born in Somerset, Texas in January 1925. He grew up working on a farm and vowed he would never go back to doing farm work when he left the Navy. Riggs was one of seven children. At Somerset High School, Riggs played sports and was one of the top students in his academic class. The Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945] took a great toll on his family. He often went to school without shoes. [Annotator's Note: Riggs is interrupted by a person adjusting the camera at 0:02:53.000.] Riggs' father kept up with world events in the late 1930s and kept his children up to date with what he read in the newspaper. Riggs knew that he would join the Navy immediately upon finishing high school. [Annotator's Note: Someone off camera interjects at 0:03:45.000.] Riggs had one brother that served in the military, while the other two worked for the government. [Annotator's Note: A telephone rings at 0:03:59.000.] On 7 December 1941, Riggs was leaving church when he heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]. His fighting spirit was strong, and he wanted to enlist immediately. Instead, while still in high school, Riggs participated in some programs to aid in the war effort while he waited to join the fight. He joined the Navy on 26 March 1943. Riggs chose the Navy because of an uncle. The thought of seeing the world from the deck of a ship fascinated him. Riggs was sent to basic training in San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California]. Riggs then attended courses to learn to pack parachutes and life rafts. This work led to a rewarding experience when a pilot bailed out safely thanks to his expertly packed parachute. Riggs was then assigned to service aboard the USS Suwannee (CVE-27) as a parachute rigger.

[Annotator's Note: Someone off camera interjects at various points.] As his ship [Annotator's Note: the USS Suwannee (CVE-27)] sailed into the Pacific, William Riggs was assigned to a bunk in the parachute loft where pilots and their gunners would gather before missions to drink coffee and chat. He was proud to keep their chutes and life rafts up to snuff. While under combat, Riggs was unafraid as he had adopted the mindset that everyone was in the same boat together. A kamikaze crashed into the Suwannee four months before he boarded ship, though there were no close calls while he was aboard. He saw many shot down by other ships, however. Riggs recalls many of the planes based aboard ship coming back from bombing missions during the invasion of Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, code named Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945, Okinawa, Japan]. He lay awake at night for many years thinking about Okinawa. On one occasion, a plane came in for a landing, missed the arresting gear and crashed. The pilot was burned to death. The gunners were able to climb out, though badly burned. Riggs threw his blanket on one of the gunners to extinguish the flames, saving his life. At a reunion, many years later, Riggs jokingly asked the gunner for his blanket back. When news of the surrender [Annotator's Note: the Japanese surrender] reached the deck of the Suwannee, Riggs was overwhelmed with relief. He began to think of life in the United States, especially starting a family and getting a job. The Suwannee sailed to Nagasaki [Annotator's Note: Nagasaki, Japan] and its planes covered the skies on the initial approach. Riggs toured the devastated city and was astonished to see a church and a hospital as the only buildings standing. Upon leaving Nagasaki, the Suwannee picked up troops in Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands] and Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands] before sailing to the United States.

After the conclusion of World War 2, William Riggs' only thought upon arriving home was to seek out a job away from the dairy farm. He was stationed at a holding station in Los Angeles [Annotator's Note: Los Angeles, California] and was treated like a king by so many in the community. He attended free USC [Annotator's Note: University of Southern California in Los Angeles] and UCLA [Annotator's Note: University of California Los Angeles] football games. [Annotator's Note: He was discharged on 23 March 1946]. He never took advantage of the G.I. Bill, nor did he draw any money from the 52-20 Club [Annotator's Note: a government-funded program that paid unemployed veterans 20 dollars per week for 52 weeks]. Riggs got a job as a lineman for Southwestern Bell [Annotator's Note: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company]. Riggs' most memorable experience was when the Japanese surrendered. He also remembers being taken to little islands in the Pacific and given beer. He fought in World War 2 because it was the thing to do. He wanted to take part in the war like his brother. The war changed his life completely. Riggs is proud he had a chance to serve. America has forgotten about World War 2. Riggs believes that society needs to continue to teach World War 2. He enjoyed visiting The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana].