A Watsonville member of the famous "Band of Brothers" now rests in Jefferson Barracks.

Carl Newton Riggs was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1920, to Mr. and Mrs. Riggs. No additional information has surfaced regarding the couple; however, they had two other sons, George and Albert, and two daughters, Katie and Suzi. Carl's older sister Katie raised him from the time he was a baby. Riggs attended schools in Arp, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, before arriving in Watsonville.

Carl Riggs studied at Watsonville High School for three years and after leaving school, moved to Salinas. There he worked on a local ranch for five years before becoming a salesman.

On August 9, 1942, Riggs enlisted in the US Army at Salinas and was sent to a basic training facility. After his initial training, he volunteered for airborne infantry and was ordered to Fort Benning, Georgia, for parachute training. At its conclusion, he was assigned to the 506th Infantry Parachute Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. By the time he departed for Europe, Riggs had been promoted to sergeant.

In 1944 the 506th Regiment was sent to England to prepare for the June 6 invasion of Normandy on D-day.

“The 506th PIR took off for their first combat jump at 0100 hrs, 6 June 1944. In the predawn hours of D-Day a combination of low clouds, and enemy anti-aircraft fire caused the break-up of the troop carrier formations. The scattering of the air armada was such that only nine of the eighty-one planes scheduled to drop their men on the Drop Zone (DZ) found their mark. Consequently, the sporadic jump patterns caused most of the troopers to land far afield of their designated DZ. Some of the sticks landed as far away as 20 miles from the designated area. Only the 3rd Battalion landed in close proximity to their designated DZ. However, the Germans had long recognized the area as a likely spot for a parachute assault. The Germans set a strategic trap and in less than 10 minutes managed to kill the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Wolverton, his executive officer Maj. George Grant and a large portion of the battalion.”

Carl Riggs and sixteen other members of E Company's "band of brothers" were killed in action on June 6, 1944, in the D-Day invasion when their aircraft was hit and exploded over Ste. Mere-Eglise, Normandy, France.

Riggs remains were later located and returned to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, for reburial in a mass grave.

(NARA2; USDVA; 101st Airborne, 506th Parachute Inf. Regiment, http://ww2-airborne.us/units/506/506.html, [16 September 2008] WRP January 31, 1945 1:2, www.506infantry. org/Memorial/personal/tmgrave.htm [April 12, 2009])