A veteran of the war in Korea received a commemorative medal honoring his role in the war more than 70 years after his war service.
Author: John Becker, WBIR Published: 5:50 PM EDT May 22, 2025 Updated: 6:42 PM EDT May 22, 2025
As a teenager, Billie Riner recalls feeling shocked the country was about to enter another war.
“World War Two hadn’t been over just a little while when the Korean War broke out,” said Riner.
At age 93, the veteran of 35 combat missions aboard a B-29 bomber received a commemorative medal to honor his service created by the government of South Korea.
“I guess I’m happy to know that people know I served in Korea now, and I got proof,” said Riner, who received the medal in a ceremony earlier this spring in Jefferson County.
Click here to view John Becker’s interview with Billie and Patrick Riner.
In addition to our on-camera interview about the medal and his memories of combat, Mr. Riner took time to answer the following 10 questions about the impact his military service had on the rest of his life.
Credit: John Becker
Billie Riner and his son Patrick who followed him into military service.
- What one person influenced you most in life? I don’t know. I don’t know there was any one person that influenced me. Members of my family but I forged my own path.
- Do you feel honored and respected for serving your country? Oh, yes.
- How can people thank you for your service? Just let me be as I am. I appreciate your handshake.
- How do you honor your fellow service men and women? Oh, I have a lot of respect for them, because I know what they go through, what they sacrifice and whatnot. There’s a kinship there? Yes.
- How do you think this generation of service men and women is different or similar to yours? Well, we all do the same thing, you know. So I guess I’d have to say it’s very similar to mine, you know, if I had to go back, it’d be entirely different now to me, you know.
- What influence did your military service have on the rest of your life? It had a great deal. It made me concentrate on whatever the job was. You know, I put effort into it.
Discipline and organization that you lived in the military extended to your civilian life? Yes, yes.
- Does your family have a history of military service? My dad was in the Navy in World War One. There were some other family members that were in the military, but my dad’s the one I remember most. My son followed me in the Air Force for a good while.
- Would you encourage other members of your family to join the service? Yes, why would you say that? I think it’s very good training.
- Having served at war, has your opinion of war changed? Not really, I guess, because mine were flying time, you know, and knocked down on the ground where it was hand-to-hand more or less, you know, which would have been sort of brutal, I imagine.
- Did your military experience shape your faith? I guess not…it didn’t
Mr. Riner’s Ambassador for Peace Medal application was sent to Vet to Vet Tennessee by Jefferson County Veterans Service Officer Marissa King. If you know a Korean War Veterans (living or deceased) and you want to recognize a Korean War Veteran, please go to our Ambassador for Peace Medal page to learn more or to apply. There are no fees and the process can take less than two weeks. God bless America!
