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RIP Bob Riggle

By John Lindquist

Bob at the Milwaukee Beer Fest, 2004.

We will miss you Bob Riggle. He was a good man. I first met Bob at Washington High School, Milwaukee in 1965. He was a year behind me but we were both in band and orchestra; that's where the girls were. Bob and I played trombone, which in marching band lingo made us "boners." We had a passing friendship until my graduation in 1966. I figured we would never meet again.

We were reunited again by Vietnam. I was in the USMC 1967-69. Bob was in the Army 1969-71. He was in Da Nang in 1971 and saw a copy of the Winter Soldier, our first National Newspaper. I was listed as Regional Coordination for Wisconsin and Upper Michigan so he wrote a letter. "Did we play trombone in High School and can you send some acid?" "Yes I did," I replied, "and can you send us some Nam grass?"

His tour went well and upon arriving home he joined the Milwaukee Chapter of VVAW. Whether it was demos, takeovers, work parties, security or just partying, Bob was there. All through the war on the VA, Bob was there. He was around until the late 70s, and then he left for Arizona for landscaping.

Bob was back and forth through the years but he always stepped back into VVAW no matter what was up. Finally, Wisconsin winters became too much for Bob and it was back to the southwest and the landscaping jobs he loved.

Semper Fi Bob. We will miss you.

John Lindquist is a longtime member of VVAW.

Bob in DC, 2003.

John Lindquist, Bob Riggle, Mike Goetsch in Milwaukee.

Mike Goetsch, Dave Kettenhofen and Bob Riggle at the Wall in 2003.