Earl R. Griffin Papers

Collection

Identifier: TMD314

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection contains military service questionnaire (n.d.); Kiska invasion maps (1943); photographs of the Kiska occupation (1943), training at Mt. Rainier (1942), Camp Hale, Colo. (1943-1944).

Dates

1942-1944

Creator

Griffin, Earl R.,1918-1997. (Person)
Griffin, Earl R., 1918-1997 (Person)

Language of Materials

Material is in English unless otherwise noted.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The imply Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Biographical / Historical

Earl R. Griffin was born May 15, 1918 in Portland, Oregon. He completed four years of high school and was working as a sales clerk prior to enlisting in the Army February 20, 1941 at Portland, Oregon. Griffin was initially assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. He transferred to the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, the first unit of “ski troops” which was also stationed at Fort Lewis. Griffin’s brother, Elmer, also served with the 10th Mountain Division. Griffin was assigned to Company A and later to Company I of the 87th. Following the invasion and occupation of Kiska Island, Griffin served as a ski instructor at Camp Hale, Colorado. He then left Camp Hale to attend Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He understood that he would return to the 10th Mountain Division upon receiving his commission. Rather, he was assigned to the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and spent the remainder of the war in Western Europe. He received two Bronze Star Medals. After the War, Griffin returned to active duty in 1949 to serve in Korea, where he was wounded in action. Griffin retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1968. He died November 14, 1997 in California.