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Army
Sgt. Joseph L. Rigney
Kennebec, Lyman
County, South Dakota
Killed in action near Paderborn
Germany
Joseph L. Rigney was born north
of Kennebec in Lyman County on September
17, 1917, to Martin and Mae
Rigney. He had three brothers: Patrick, Bernard, and Gary, and one sister, Anna.
Joseph graduated from
Kennebec High School in the
Class of 1936.
While he was in the Civilian
Conservation Corps, he went
to CCC Camp #37 in Pierre for the summer and winter of 1937. In the spring of 1938,
he went to a CCC camp
located in Chamberlain.
After the camp, he worked
on several farms in the Winner area.
In early
1942, Joseph was drafted into
the Army. He went to Camp Polk
in Louisiana and joined the 3rd Armored
Division, 36th Armored Infantry
Regiment, Company I. He then
attended desert training in the Mojave
Desert. In September of 1943,
he was shipped out to England. He
landed in Normandy on June 25th,
1944. Joseph entered combat on
June 29th and was wounded the same
day. He spent a month in an English
hospital, and then returned to
combat on July 29th.
During the Battle of the Bulge, he was
wounded for a second time
on January 3, 1945. While
attacking a small town near
Paderborn, Germany.
Joseph Rigney was killed in action
March 30, 1945. At the time of his
death, he held the rank of staff sergeant and was a squad
leader. He was 27 years
old. Joseph's body was brought back
to South Dakota in 1947 and buried in the National Cemetery in
Sturgis.
Joseph's
awards include the European,
African, Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon with five
bronze stars, Purple Heart
with two clusters, Combat
Infantry Badge, and the Belgian
Fourragere.
This entry was
respectfully submitted by
Marjorie Leichtnam, 11th Grade, Lyman High
School, Kennebec. South
Dakota, February 20,2002.
Information for this entry was provided
by Patty Rigney, Winner,
South Dakota.
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