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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Cold War; World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps; Air Force
  • Unit of Service: 28th Fighter Squadron, 12th Air Force; 52nd Fighter Wing, 9th Air Force; 57th Fighter Squadron, 5th Air Force; 108th Tactical Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard
  • Location of Service: Kelly Field, San Antonio and Randolph, Texas; Panama; Africa; Corsica; Barth, Germany; McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/8971

View full service history

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Richard A. Ritchings Collection

Names

  • Fowler, Carol
  • National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey (Center for US War Veterans Oral Histories)
  • Ritchings, Richard A.

State of Birth

  • NJ

Home State

  • NJ

Headings

  • -  Ritchings, Richard A.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 28th Fighter Squadron, 12th Air Force; 52nd Fighter Wing, 9th Air Force; 57th Fighter Squadron, 5th Air Force
    • Location of Service: Kelly Field, San Antonio and Randolph, Texas; Panama; Africa; Corsica; Barth, Germany
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1965
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran was a prisoner of war (POW) in Stalag Luft 1 for 14 months. Veteran flew 38 mission as a fighter pilot during World War II.

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Unit of Service: 108th Tactical Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard
    • Location of Service: McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 06/16/2003)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 9/30/1962)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 6/16/2003)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/8971

Cite as

  • Richard A. Ritchings Collection (AFC/2001/001/8971), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Fowler, Carol, National Guard Militia Museum Of New Jersey, and Richard A Ritchings. Richard A. Ritchings Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08971/.

APA citation style:

Fowler, C., National Guard Militia Museum Of New Jersey & Ritchings, R. A. (1942) Richard A. Ritchings Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08971/.

MLA citation style:

Fowler, Carol, National Guard Militia Museum Of New Jersey, and Richard A Ritchings. Richard A. Ritchings Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08971/>.