Ritchie Boys Wiki - User contributions [en]

Sajben, Charles Jr (01284221)

2026-09-16T14:28:29Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=01284221
|surname=Sajben
|first=Charles
|suffix=Jr
|alias=Sabjen
|class_section=13
|class_rank=2nd Lt
|birth_year=1913
|death_year=1966
|nativity=United States
|religion=Protestant
|overseas=N
|special=x
|certificate=1454
|confidence=high
|class_number=6
|class_display=6
|photo=
|arm_or_service=Infantry
|birth_date=28 July 1913
|death_date=22 November 1966
|rank_final=Captain
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Sajben, Charles Jr (01284221)|Charles Sajben Jr.]]''' (28 July 1913 – 22 November 1966) was a New Jersey-born Ritchie Boy (Class 6) later mentioned as a captain in the 63rd Infantry Division newspaper ''Blood and Fire''.
</div>

== Biography ==
Charles Sajben Jr. was born on 28 July 1913 in New Jersey. He trained at Camp Ritchie in Class 6.

On 1 July 1944, Volume 2, Number 3 of the 63rd Infantry Division newspaper ''Blood and Fire'' carried the article “Two Lieutenants Become Captains,” which reported promotions among officers assigned to division headquarters and named Sajben among those advanced to captain. A later issue (Volume 2, Number 22, 11 November 1944) published “Ritchie Team Shows How to Quiz Nazis,” documenting IPW work in the division’s newspaper of record.

Family research states that Sajben died on 22 November 1966 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and that his headstone identifies him as a colonel with a Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster; the headstone image itself was not present in the RB Archive folder reviewed for this update.

== Research notes ==
* OCR (81%) of `5718812254807315.jpg` (Camp Ritchie).
* RB Archive folder “Blood and Fire Newspaper” is a 63rd Infantry Division unit paper packet, not a soldier dossier; published facts here are linked to Sajben. No dedicated theme page for Blood and Fire exists yet on the wiki.
* Final grade of colonel and Bronze Star with OLC remain family/headstone claims pending a public headstone image or official award file.

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
5718812254807315.jpg|
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 53
|-
| Class_ASN || 284221
|-
| Class_Name || SAJBEN, Charles
|-
| match_method || asn_partial_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 28 July 1913 — Born in New Jersey.
* Camp Ritchie Class 6.
* 1 July 1944 — Named in 63rd Infantry Division Blood and Fire (Vol. 2 No. 3), “Two Lieutenants Become Captains.”
* 11 November 1944 — Related division coverage: Blood and Fire (Vol. 2 No. 22), “Ritchie Team Shows How to Quiz Nazis.”
* 22 November 1966 — Died; buried at Arlington National Cemetery (family account).
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page material previously linked to this profile (2022-09-28)
* RB Archive research notes on Blood and Fire Vol. 2 No. 3 (1 July 1944) and Vol. 2 No. 22 (11 November 1944), including family summary of Arlington burial (private notes/images, not uploaded)
* [[:File:5718812254807315.jpg|63rd Infantry Division Blood and Fire, 1 July 1944 — “Two Lieutenants Become Captains”]]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-09-28 (1 post)
* [[:File:5718812254807315.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5718812254807315.jpg]]
* [[:File:5718812254807315.jpg|63rd Infantry Division ?Blood and Fire,? 1 July 1944, including ?Two Lieutenants Become Captains?]]

Fuller, Douglas T. (32758166)

2026-09-16T14:28:27Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=32758166
|surname=Fuller
|first=Douglas
|middle=Theodore
|class_section=6A
|class_rank=Corporal
|birth_year=1908
|death_year=1976
|nativity=United States
|religion=Protestant
|overseas=Y
|certificate=9416
|confidence=high
|class_number=24
|class_display=24
|division=101st Airborne Division
|specialty=Photo intelligence
|rank_final=Corporal
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Fuller, Douglas T. (32758166)|Douglas Theodore Fuller]]''' (1908–1976) was a Ritchie Boy (Class 24) trained in photo intelligence who served with the 101st Airborne Division in France and Germany in 1945.
</div>

== Biography ==
Douglas Theodore Fuller was born in 1908. Before and after the war he worked in insurance adjustment; a postwar biographical note places him as a branch manager for General Adjustment Bureau in Huntington, West Virginia. He married Kathryn Rinard; their daughter Ruth was born in 1948.

During the war Fuller spent about nine months studying Swedish language and customs at the University of Minnesota, then trained in photo intelligence at Camp Ritchie (Class 24). In May–September 1945 he served in France and Germany with the 101st Airborne Division after Bastogne; he wrote that he was not present for the Battle of the Bulge itself.

He died in 1976.

== Research notes ==
''No notes were in the source row. Add what you know.''

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 68
|-
| Class_ASN || 32758166
|-
| Class_Name || FULLER, Douglas T.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1908 — Born.
* Nine months — Swedish language and customs study, University of Minnesota.
* Camp Ritchie Class 24 — photo intelligence training.
* May–September 1945 — France and Germany with 101st Airborne Division (after Bastogne).
* Postwar — Branch manager, General Adjustment Bureau, Huntington, West Virginia; married Kathryn Rinard (daughter Ruth, 1948).
* 1976 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page material previously linked to this profile (2022-12-17)
* Postwar biographical / yearbook sketch for Douglas Theodore Fuller (RB Archive DOCX/JPG 3310030_000162; private copy, not uploaded)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-17 (1 post)

Schmand, Delbert A. (0392763)

2026-09-16T14:27:20Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=0392763
|surname=Schmand
|first=Delbert
|middle=Adolph
|class_section=2
|class_rank=2nd Lt
|birth_year=1915
|death_year=2003
|nativity=United States
|religion=Protestant
|overseas=N
|certificate=3182
|confidence=high
|class_number=10
|class_display=10
|photo=6205138566174679.jpg
|death_date=9 September 2003
|birth_place=Little Rock, Arkansas
|arm_or_service=Signal Corps
|rank_final=Lieutenant Colonel
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Schmand, Delbert A. (0392763)|Delbert Adolph Schmand]]''' (1915 – 9 September 2003) was an Arkansas engineer and Ritchie Boy (Class 10) who later rose to lieutenant colonel in the reserves and led major Corps of Engineers and professional-engineering work.
</div>

== Biography ==
Delbert Adolph Schmand was born in 1915 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the son of William and Anna Schmand. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1937 with an engineering degree. After briefly working in his father’s candy business, he joined the Little Rock District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on 15 May 1938. He married Frances Rossner on 15 October 1939.

Called to active service after Pearl Harbor, Schmand trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 10). While stationed there he learned of his father’s death on 7 March 1944. He continued Army and reserve service after the war and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1965.

Schmand spent thirty-eight years with the Corps of Engineers, including supervising design of locks and dams on the Arkansas River, and received the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. After retiring from the Corps he directed the Little Rock Port Authority until 1977 and later served as president of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas College of Engineering Hall of Fame. He died on 9 September 2003 at age 88.

== Research notes ==
* Section II
* An earlier profile incorrectly used 7 March 1944 (his father’s death) as Delbert’s death_date; corrected from the family history narrative.

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 88
|-
| Class_ASN || 392763
|-
| Class_Name || SCHMAND, Delbert A.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1915 — Born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
* 1937 — Graduated University of Arkansas (engineering).
* 15 May 1938 — Joined Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
* 15 October 1939 — Married Frances Rossner.
* After 7 December 1941 — Called to active service; Camp Ritchie Class 10.
* 7 March 1944 — Father William Schmand died (news reached Delbert at Camp Ritchie).
* 1965 — Retired from Army reserves as lieutenant colonel.
* Corps of Engineers career (38 years); Meritorious Civilian Service Medal; later Little Rock Port Authority director; NSPE president (from 1977).
* 9 September 2003 — Died (age 88).
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page material previously linked to this profile (2023-03-04)
* RB Archive book/page scans (del01–del02, pg00, DTIC_ADA635506.pdf; private copies, not uploaded)
* [https://archive.org/details/sweetsideoflittl0000schm/page/84/mode/2up Internet Archive — Delbert A. Schmand, The Sweet Side of Little Rock (excerpt on Camp Ritchie / family history)]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-03-04 (1 post)

Hedley, Debonsall (6997907)

2026-09-16T14:27:17Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=6997907
|surname=Hedley
|first=Debonsall
|class_section=6C
|class_rank=Technical Sergeant
|birth_year=1911
|death_year=1978
|nativity=United States
|religion=Quaker
|overseas=Y
|certificate=5117
|confidence=high
|class_number=14
|class_display=14
|awards=American Defense Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze service star; Good Conduct Medal; World War II Victory Medal
|awards_grid=American Defense Medal@@European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze service star;;Good Conduct Medal;;World War II Victory Medal
|awards_extra=
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_American_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon.png;Ribbon_European-African-Middle_Eastern_Campaign_ribbon.png;Ribbon_Army_Good_Conduct_Medal_ribbon.png;Ribbon_World_War_II_Victory_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_American_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon.png@@Ribbon_European-African-Middle_Eastern_Campaign_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Army_Good_Conduct_Medal_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_World_War_II_Victory_Medal_ribbon.png
|rank_final=Technical Sergeant
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Hedley, Debonsall (6997907)|Debonsall Hedley]]''' (1911–1978) was a Quaker Ritchie Boy (Class 14) who served as a technical sergeant, including the Normandy campaign, before an honorable discharge in November 1945.
</div>

== Biography ==
Debonsall Hedley was born in 1911. A Quaker by religion in roster data, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on 24 November 1939 and later trained at Camp Ritchie, graduating with Class 14.

Hedley served overseas in the Normandy campaign. His separation papers identify him as a technical sergeant of the 403rd Air Base Depot and credit about four years, eight months of continental service and about one year, two months of foreign service. He was honorably discharged on 2 November 1945. Documented awards include the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze service star, the Good Conduct Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

He died in 1978.

== Research notes ==
* OCR (100%) of `6021299114558626.jpg` (CAMP RITCHIE, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE TRAINING CENTER, Camp Ritchie).
* OCR (99%) of `6021299107891960.jpg` (gallery document) — dated 2 November 1945 — rank mentioned: Sergeant.
* OCR (97%) of `6021299111225293.jpg` (DISCHARGE, bronze star, Good Conduct) — rank mentioned: Captain.

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
6021299107891960.jpg
6021299111225293.jpg
6021299114558626.jpg
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 67
|-
| Class_ASN || 6997907
|-
| Class_Name || HEDLEY, DeBonsall
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1911 — Born.
* 24 November 1939 — Enlisted in the U.S. Army.
* Camp Ritchie Class 14.
* Normandy campaign (European Theater).
* 2 November 1945 — Honorably discharged as technical sergeant, 403rd Air Base Depot.
* 1978 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* [https://discover.hsp.org/Record/ead-GSP060 Historical Society of Pennsylvania — finding aid GSP060]
* [https://www.worldcat.org/title/232362028 WorldCat record 232362028]
* RB Archive scan set DH.pdf / DH-page-001–003.jpg (private copies aligned with gallery documents)
* [[:File:6021299114558626.jpg|Camp Ritchie training document (gallery)]]
* [[:File:6021299111225293.jpg|Awards / discharge document (gallery)]]
* [[:File:6021299107891960.jpg|Separation / discharge document (gallery)]]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-05 (1 post)
* [[:File:6021299114558626.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 6021299114558626.jpg]]
* [[:File:6021299107891960.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 6021299107891960.jpg]]
* [[:File:6021299111225293.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 6021299111225293.jpg]]

Chavchavadze, David (11092357)

2026-09-16T14:26:09Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=11092357
|surname=Chavchavadze
|first=David
|class_number=10
|class_section=7D
|class_rank=Private
|birth_year=1924
|death_year=2014
|nativity=Great Britain
|religion=Greek Orthodox
|enlistment_place=FT DEVENS MASSACHUSETTS
|state=MASSACHUSETTS
|education=4 years of high school
|occupation=CIA officer; author
|marital=Single without dependents
|certificate=3288
|photo=Wikipedia_Prince_David_Chavchavadze.jpg
|confidence=high
|class_display=10
|overseas=Y
|birth_date=20 May 1924
|death_date=5 October 2014
|birth_place=London, England
|death_place=Washington, D.C.
|years_of_service=1943-1945
|battles=WWII
|known_for=CIA Officer, author
|rank_final=Captain
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Chavchavadze, David (11092357)|David Chavchavadze]]''' (20 May 1924 – 5 October 2014) was a London-born Ritchie Boy, Lend-Lease interpreter, and later a long-serving CIA officer and author of Georgian-Russian origin.
</div>

== Biography ==
David Chavchavadze was born on 20 May 1924 in London to Prince Paul Chavchavadze and Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia. The family moved to the United States in 1927. He was educated at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, began Yale University on scholarship, and after his freshman year volunteered for the U.S. Army.

Chavchavadze enlisted on 26 February 1943 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts (ASN 11092357). Identified as a Russian speaker, he entered Camp Ritchie Class 10 (Russian) on 23 July 1943, graduated on 20 September 1943 as a classified assistant interpreter, and was promoted to technician third grade on 27 September 1943. He was posted to Alaska interpreting for Soviet personnel connected with Lend-Lease air ferry operations—including work associated with Andrei Gromyko—and later interpreted in postwar Berlin for occupation officials. Contemporary accounts state he was commissioned a second lieutenant around age 20 and left the Army as a captain.

After the war he finished his history studies at Yale, joined the CIA in 1950, and spent about twenty-five years as a case officer in Soviet operations, including early work in Berlin. He later wrote ''Crowns and Trenchcoats: A Russian Prince in the CIA'' (1989) and ''The Grand Dukes'' (1989) and lectured on Russian history. He died on 5 October 2014 in Washington, D.C., at age 90.

== Research notes ==
* to 1st Lt
* Alaska
* Cia
* Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer
* Romanov prince
* Author, "Crowns and Trenchcoats: A Russian Prince in the CIA"
* Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides ( )
* Class 10 roster lists technician third grade at graduation; Telegraph obituary reports later commission and discharge as captain—rank_final follows the later grade.

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 90
|-
| Nara ASN || 11092357
|-
| Nara Name || CHAVCHAVADZE DAVID
|-
| Nara State || 13
|-
| Nara County || 1
|-
| Nara POE || 1328
|-
| Nara DOE || 260243
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Grade Code || 8
|-
| Nara Branch Alpha || N-
|-
| Nara Branch Code || 2
|-
| Branch || No branch assignment
|-
| Nara Term or Enlistment || 5
|-
| Term of enlistment || Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
|-
| Defer. Date || 0
|-
| Nara Source || 5
|-
| Nara Nativity || K1
|-
| Nara Year of Birth || 24
|-
| Nara Race || 1
|-
| Nara Race Description || White citizen
|-
| Nara Education || 4
|-
| Nara Civilian Occupation || 2
|-
| Nara Marital Status || 6
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 0
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 137
|-
| Class_ASN || 11092357
|-
| Class_Name || CHAVCHAVADZE, David
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 20 May 1924 — Born in London, England.
* 1927 — Family moved to the United States.
* Educated at Phillips Academy (Andover, Massachusetts); began Yale University.
* 26 February 1943 — Enlisted at Fort Devens, Massachusetts (ASN 11092357).
* 23 July – 20 September 1943 — Camp Ritchie Class 10 (Russian); graduated as classified assistant interpreter-Russian.
* 27 September 1943 — Promoted to technician third grade.
* 1943–1945 — Alaska Lend-Lease interpreting; later Berlin occupation interpreting; commissioned (accounts report captain by discharge).
* Postwar — Completed Yale history studies; recruited by CIA (report September 1950).
* c. 1950–1974 — CIA Soviet operations case officer (including Berlin); later contract debriefing work.
* 1989 — Published Crowns and Trenchcoats and The Grand Dukes.
* 5 October 2014 — Died in Washington, D.C.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Dan Gross timeline research for David Chavchavadze (private research files; selected non-private findings)
* ProQuest copies of Telegraph obituaries in RB Archive folder “David Chavchavadze…” (private PDFs, not uploaded)
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/david-chavchavadze-cia-spy-with-russian-royal-roots-dies-at-90/2014/11/08/ddd65f86-5ec6-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html Washington Post — David Chavchavadze obituary (8 November 2014)]
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11219248/Prince-David-Chavchavadze-obituary.html The Daily Telegraph / Telegraph.co.uk — Prince David Chavchavadze obituary (Nov 2014)]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Chavchavadze Wikipedia — David Chavchavadze]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-01-27 (1 post)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of David Chavchavadze for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Chavchavadze, David for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: DAVID CHAVCHAVADZE.doc)

Eells, Charles B. Jr (01180175)

2026-09-16T14:26:06Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=01180175
|surname=Eells
|first=Charles
|middle=Burton
|suffix=Jr
|birth_year=1918
|death_year=1991
|nativity=United States
|religion=Protestant
|overseas=N
|certificate=*
|birth_date=31 January 1918
|death_date=3 August 1991
|specialty=Terrain intelligence
|occupation=United States Army officer
|photo=5810812838940589.jpg
|rank_final=First Lieutenant
|arm_or_service=Field Artillery
|division=Battery B, 246th Field Artillery Battalion
|education=Field Artillery Officer Candidate Course (12 weeks); Military Intelligence Training Center, Camp Ritchie — Terrain Intelligence (8 weeks); University of Illinois (3 years)
|years_of_service=8 April 1943 – 19 May 1946
|battles=Guadalcanal; Bougainville
|awards=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze service star; American Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal
|awards_grid=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze service star;;American Campaign Medal;;World War II Victory Medal
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Asiatic-Pacific_Campaign_Medal_ribbon.png;Ribbon_American_Campaign_Medal_ribbon.png;Ribbon_World_War_II_Victory_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Asiatic-Pacific_Campaign_Medal_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_American_Campaign_Medal_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_World_War_II_Victory_Medal_ribbon.png
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Eells, Charles B. Jr (01180175)|Charles Burton Eells Jr.]]''' (31 January 1918 – 3 August 1991) was a field artillery officer and Ritchie Boy who completed terrain-intelligence training at Camp Ritchie in 1943 and served with Battery B, 246th Field Artillery Battalion, on Guadalcanal and Bougainville.
</div>

== Biography ==
Charles Burton Eells Jr. studied business administration for three years at the University of Illinois and worked as a tabulating-machine operator before entering the Army. He first served under enlisted ASN 17060489, including basic training with the 2nd Cavalry Division at Fort Clark, Texas (October 1942 – April 1943), and rose to corporal.

In January–April 1943 he attended Field Artillery Officers Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Class 59-43). In April 1943 he was honorably discharged from enlisted service to accept a commission as a second lieutenant (officer ASN 01180175). The same year he completed eight weeks of terrain-intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. From December 1943 through November 1944 he served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with Battery B, 246th Field Artillery Battalion—including New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, and Bougainville—preparing firing data for 105 mm howitzers and taking command when the unit commander was absent. His Separation Qualification Record lists him as a first lieutenant and field artillery unit commander. He left active wartime service in May 1946.

Eells was recalled to active duty around 1950 and was honorably discharged again in 1953. He died on 3 August 1991.

== Research notes ==
* Eells's enlisted records use ASN 17060489; his later officer and retired-reserve records use ASN 01180175.
* The gallery contains service, training, education, and campaign-award records from both stages of his Army career.

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
5810812782273928.jpg
5810812808940592.jpg
5810813008940572.jpg
5810813052273901.jpg
5810812955607244.jpg
5810812978940575.jpg
5810813012273905.jpg
5810813142273892.jpg
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 73
|-
| row_source || demographics
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 31 January 1918 — Born.
* University of Illinois — three years of college (business administration).
* October 1942 – April 1943 — Basic training, 2nd Cavalry Division, Fort Clark, Texas (enlisted ASN 17060489).
* January–April 1943 — Field Artillery OCS, Fort Sill (Class 59-43).
* April 1943 — Honorable discharge as enlisted man to accept commission (officer ASN 01180175).
* 1943 — Eight weeks terrain-intelligence training, Camp Ritchie.
* December 1943 – November 1944 — Battery B, 246th Field Artillery Battalion: New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Bougainville.
* 16 May 1946 — WWII honorable discharge / “ruptured duck” button period; Separation Qualification Record as first lieutenant.
* c. 1950 — Army recall to active duty; Fort Sill officers meal-card period in family papers.
* 1953 — Honorable discharge.
* 3 August 1991 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ancestry private member materials noted in RB Archive source.txt (identity and service confirmation; tree not publicly viewable)
* Family service packet for Charles Burton Eells Jr. (RB Archive: Separation Record 1946, WWII service record, honorable discharges 1943/1953, Fort Sill meal card, Army recall telegram 1950; private copies, not re-uploaded this batch)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-27 (1 post)
* [[:File:5810812955607244.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5810812955607244.jpg]]
* [[:File:5810812782273928.jpg|Eells gallery document/photo]]
* [[:File:5810812808940592.jpg|Eells identity record]]
* [[:File:5810813008940572.jpg|Eells 1943 officer-appointment discharge]]
* [[:File:5810813052273901.jpg|Eells enlisted record]]
* [[:File:5810812978940575.jpg|Eells Separation Qualification Record]]
* [[:File:5810813012273905.jpg|Eells military education and civilian record]]
* [[:File:5810813142273892.jpg|Eells certificate of service]]

Kowallis, Charles A. (39906108)

2026-09-16T14:24:59Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=39906108
|surname=Kowallis
|first=Charles
|middle=Abrams
|birth_year=1913
|enlistment_place=SALT LAKE CITY UTAH
|state=Utah
|education=4 years of high school
|occupation=Retail managers
|marital=Married
|death_year=2007
|photo=5997341906954347.jpg
|birth_date=28 January 1913
|birth_place=Montpelier, Idaho
|death_place=Salt Lake City, Utah
|nativity=United States
|death_date=26 January 2007
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Kowallis, Charles A. (39906108)|Charles Abrams Kowallis]]''' (28 January 1913 – 26 January 2007) was an Idaho-born Ritchie Boy whose German language skills from an LDS mission led to Camp Ritchie training before a medical discharge.
</div>

== Biography ==
Charles Abrams Kowallis was born on 28 January 1913 in Montpelier, Idaho, and grew up on a dry farm in Arbon Valley (Bannock), Power County, Idaho, before the family moved to Logan, Utah. He attended Logan city schools and Logan High School, where he lettered in several sports. From November 1931 to July 1934 he served an LDS mission in Germany and Austria. During the Depression he worked as a Civilian Conservation Corps company clerk, then in the family implement and hardware business. He married Nina Theo Green on 6 May 1941 in the Logan Temple.

Kowallis was inducted into the Army in January 1943 and sent first to Atlantic City with the Air Corps, then to Camp Ritchie because of his German. About six months later, in July 1943, he received a medical discharge.

After the war he and his brother Wilford operated Kowallis Hardware and Implements in Logan until retirement in 1978. He later lived in Salt Lake City and died there on 26 January 2007 at age 94.

== Research notes ==

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Nara ASN || 39906108
|-
| Nara Name || KOWALLIS CHARLES A
|-
| Nara State || 96
|-
| Nara County || 5
|-
| Nara POE || 9689
|-
| Nara DOE || 40143
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Grade Code || 8
|-
| Nara Branch Alpha || BI
|-
| Nara Branch Code || 0
|-
| Branch || Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
|-
| Nara Term or Enlistment || 5
|-
| Term of enlistment || Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
|-
| Defer. Date || 0
|-
| Nara Source || 0
|-
| Nara Nativity || 92
|-
| Nativity.1 || IDAHO
|-
| Nara Year of Birth || 13
|-
| Nara Race || 1
|-
| Nara Race Description || White citizen
|-
| Nara Education || 4
|-
| Nara Civilian Occupation || 72
|-
| Nara Marital Status || 2
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 72
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 181
|-
| row_source || demographics
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 28 January 1913 — Born in Montpelier, Idaho; later lived on Arbon Valley farm and in Logan, Utah.
* November 1931 – July 1934 — LDS mission, Germany and Austria.
* Depression years — CCC company clerk; family hardware / implement business.
* 6 May 1941 — Married Nina Theo Green in the Logan Temple.
* January 1943 — Inducted; Air Corps processing at Atlantic City, then Camp Ritchie (German language).
* July 1943 — Medical discharge.
* Postwar – 1978 — Operated Kowallis Hardware and Implements in Logan with brother Wilford.
* 26 January 2007 — Died in Salt Lake City, Utah.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Autobiographical sketch by Charles Abrams Kowallis (RB Archive DOCX FL14689312_2275449_000467; private family copy, not uploaded)
* [https://www.allenmortuaries.net/obituaries/CharlesAbrams-Kowallis-498/#!/Obituary Allen Mortuaries — Charles Abrams Kowallis obituary (26 January 2007)]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-28 (1 post)

Weeldreyer, Carl J. (0452153)

2026-09-16T14:24:56Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=0452153
|surname=Weeldreyer
|first=Carl
|middle=J.
|class_section=5G
|class_rank=1st Lt
|birth_year=1914
|death_year=1985
|nativity=United States
|religion=Protestant
|ipw_ge=19; 23
|overseas=Y
|certificate=2751
|confidence=high
|class_number=9
|class_display=9
|arm_or_service=Cavalry
|birth_place=Chancellor, South Dakota
|rank_final=Captain
|birth_date=19 August 1914
|division=2nd Armored Division
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Weeldreyer, Carl J. (0452153)|Carl J. Weeldreyer]]''' (19 August 1914 – 1985) was a South Dakota-born U.S. Army captain and Ritchie Boy (Class 9) who led IPW Team 23 with the 2nd Armored Division.
</div>

== Biography ==
Carl J. Weeldreyer was born on 19 August 1914 in Chancellor, South Dakota. Before the war he worked as an interior and exterior painter and farmhand and attended grammar school in South Dakota (1920–1928).

Weeldreyer completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kansas, in December 1941 and was commissioned a second lieutenant (ASN 0452153). He served with a cavalry replacement training center in early 1942 and with the 83rd Division Reconnaissance Troop from August 1942. In June 1943 he entered the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie (Class 9, Section 5G, German IPW), graduating as a captain (certificate 2751). His personal history card rated German speaking as good and reading and writing as fair.

He commanded IPW Team 23 with the 2nd Armored Division (team members recorded with him include De Forest, Finder, Gramckow, Bender, and Wolf). A January 1945 G-2 memo from the division is among the research notes for his overseas service. He died in 1985.

== Research notes ==
* MITC personal history card (P-26): IPW German; Class 9 Sec. 5G; native born.
* Card service notes: OCS Ft. Riley 12-41; CRTC 1-42; 83rd Div. Recon. Tr. 8-42; MITC 6-43.
* Card classification note dated 25 October 1943 (officer in charge); Pine Camp N.Y. / maneuvers mentioned.
* RB Archive folder note (updated 6 April 2014) links a late-1950s/early-1960s U.S. Army “Aggressor” training newsreel to wartime photos of Capt. Weeldreyer wearing a fictitious-army helmet in 1943; no video URL was present to add to [[Ritchie Boy Interviews]].

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery heights="180" widths="180">
Weeldreyer_Carl_J_personal_history_card.jpg|Camp Ritchie MITC personal history card (Dan Gross research archive)
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 71
|-
| Class_ASN || 452153
|-
| Class_Name || WEELDREYER, CarI J.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_compatible
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 19 August 1914 — Born in Chancellor, South Dakota.
* 1920–1928 — Grammar school in South Dakota; later painter and farmhand.
* December 1941 — Officer Candidate School, Fort Riley, Kansas; commissioned second lieutenant (ASN 0452153).
* January 1942 — Cavalry replacement training center duty.
* August 1942 — 83rd Division Reconnaissance Troop (first lieutenant).
* June 1943 — Student, MITC Camp Ritchie; Class 9 Sec. 5G (IPW German); graduated captain (certificate 2751).
* 16 October 1943 — Unit alerted for overseas shipment.
* IPW Team 23 assigned to 2nd Armored Division (Weeldreyer; De Forest; Finder; Gramckow; Bender; Wolf).
* 28 January 1945 — Memo noted by Lt. Col. E. A. Trahan, G-2, 2nd Armored Division.
* 1985 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Dan Gross timeline research for Carl J. Weeldreyer (private research files; selected non-private findings)
* RB Archive research note on U.S. Army “Aggressor” training newsreel / Camp Ritchie techniques (folder “Carl Weeldreyer (Captain) IPW Team 23”; private note, not uploaded)
* Camp Ritchie MITC personal history card from Dan Gross research archive ([[:File:Weeldreyer_Carl_J_personal_history_card.jpg|uploaded scan]])
* Camp Ritchie MITC personal history card from Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): ''CARL_J._WEELDREYER'' ([[:File:Weeldreyer_Carl_J_personal_history_card.jpg|uploaded scan]])
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Carl J. Weeldreyer for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Weeldreyer, Carl J. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: CARL J. WEELDREYER.doc)

Petersen, Carl E. (37152039)

2026-09-16T14:23:49Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=37152039
|surname=Petersen
|first=Carl
|middle=E.
|class_section=5A
|class_rank=Sgt
|nativity=Denmark
|religion=Protestant
|overseas=Y
|certificate=4333
|confidence=high
|class_number=12
|class_display=12
|photo=5985815254773679.jpg
|rank_final=Sergeant
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Petersen, Carl E. (37152039)|Carl E. Petersen]]''' was a Denmark-born Ritchie Boy (Class 12) who served as a sergeant in military intelligence in England, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Norway.
</div>

== Biography ==
Carl E. Petersen, a native of Denmark, trained with field artillery at Camp Barkeley, Texas, before attending Camp Ritchie (Class 12). He served about three and a half years in the Army.

Petersen went overseas to London in February 1944 and spent about a year in the campaigns in France and Germany. He also served in Czechoslovakia. In May 1945 he went to Norway on a special mission lasting about six months, stationed at Oslo. A contemporary biographical note records that the Norwegian government awarded him the St. Olaf Cross. After the war he worked as a service-station operator.

== Research notes ==
* 1906-1984?
* A research note suggests life dates ~1906–1984; not published pending a clearer public vital-record match.
* St. Olaf Cross is named in a wartime biographical sketch; no ribbon image is set on the awards rack pending a suitable Commons asset.

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Class_ASN || 37152039
|-
| Class_Name || PETERSEN, Carl E.; PETERSEN, Carl
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* Trained with field artillery at Camp Barkeley, Texas.
* Camp Ritchie Class 12 (military intelligence).
* February 1944 — To London; campaigns in France and Germany (~one year); also Czechoslovakia.
* May 1945 — Special mission to Norway (~six months), stationed at Oslo; St. Olaf Cross (Norwegian government).
* About 3½ years total Army service; postwar service-station operator.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page material previously linked to this profile (2022-12-24)
* Contemporary biographical sketch / yearbook entry for Carl E. Petersen (RB Archive DOCX/PDF FL3453711_2318005_000262; private copy, not uploaded)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-24 (1 post)

Bartholomew, Calvin H. (39026635)

2026-09-16T14:23:46Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive batch 2: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=39026635
|surname=Bartholomew
|first=Calvin
|middle=Henry
|class_section=5A
|class_rank=Master Sergeant
|birth_year=1917
|enlistment_place=FT DOUGLAS UTAH
|state=Utah
|rank_final=First Lieutenant
|education=4 years of college
|marital=Married
|class_number=8
|class_display=8
|birth_date=8 January 1917
|death_year=1991
|birth_place=Fayette, Utah
|nativity=United States
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Bartholomew, Calvin H. (39026635)|Calvin Henry Bartholomew]]''' (8 January 1917 – 1991) was a Utah-born Ritchie Boy who interrogated German prisoners in North Africa and later returned to Camp Ritchie as an instructor.
</div>

== Biography ==
Calvin Henry Bartholomew was born on 8 January 1917 in Fayette, Utah. He attended Brigham Young University, was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and married on 20 December 1941 in the Manti Temple. The couple taught school in Utah before he entered the Army.

Bartholomew was drafted on 2 June 1942 at Fort Douglas, Utah (enlisted ASN 39026635). He took part in the landings at Casablanca in November 1942 and served as an interrogator of German prisoners of war in North Africa. After their first son was born in March 1943, he was recalled to Camp Ritchie, Maryland, to teach; the family lived nearby in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Roster and timeline research record him in Class 8 and later associate him with officer ASN 0534746 as a second and first lieutenant; he also appears as a master sergeant in Camp Ritchie class materials.

Later wartime assignment included work connected with the ASF Depot in Ogden, Utah. He died in 1991.

== Research notes ==
* Enlisted ASN 39026635; officer identification also uses ASN 0534746 (separate roster page exists and is a likely merge candidate).
* Family memoir excerpt (RB Archive DOCX) supplies Casablanca / instructor details; Stars and Stripes Pacific clippings in the same folder were not used for published vitals.

== Gallery ==
''After you are autoconfirmed, [[Special:Upload|upload a photo]] and add <code><nowiki>[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]]</nowiki></code> here, or set <code>|photo=Example.jpg</code> in the infobox.''

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Nara ASN || 39026635
|-
| Nara Name || BARTHOLOMEW CALVIN H
|-
| Nara State || 96
|-
| Nara County || 039
|-
| Nara POE || 9629
|-
| Nara DOE || 020642
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Race || 1
|-
| Nara Race Description || White citizen
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 65
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 142
|-
| Class_ASN || 39026635
|-
| Class_Name || BARTHOLOMEW, Calvin H.
|-
| match_method || unmatched_appended
|-
| row_source || classes_only
|-
| Census_HISTID || 31B856ED-9100-497A-B3A9-7A18268985F2
|-
| Census_State || UTAH
|-
| Census_Relate || Child
|-
| Census_Sex || Male
|-
| Census_Age || 23
|-
| Census_BirthYear || 1917
|-
| Census_Marital || Never married/single
|-
| Census_Race || White
|-
| Census_BPL || UTAH
|-
| Census_MBPL || 0
|-
| Census_FBPL || 0
|-
| Census_Educ || Grade 11
|-
| Census_OCC || 866
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 8 January 1917 — Born in Fayette, Utah.
* 20 December 1941 — Married in the Manti Temple; taught school in Utah.
* 2 June 1942 — Drafted into the U.S. Army at Fort Douglas, Utah (ASN 39026635).
* November 1942 — Casablanca landings; German POW interrogator in North Africa.
* 1943 — Recalled to Camp Ritchie as an instructor (Class 8); family lived in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
* Officer records associate ASN 0534746 (second / first lieutenant); class materials also list master sergeant.
* Later wartime — Assignment connected with ASF Depot, Ogden, Utah.
* 1991 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Dan Gross timeline research for Calvin H. Bartholomew (private research files; selected non-private findings)
* [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bartholomew-1207 WikiTree — Calvin Henry Bartholomew (Bartholomew-1207)]
* Family memoir / autobiography excerpt for Calvin Henry Bartholomew (RB Archive DOCX FL228384_TN-1020815_000291; private family copy, not uploaded)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Calvin H. BARTHOLOMEW for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of BARTHOLOMEW, Calvin H. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: CALVIN H. BARTHOLOMEW Sr.docx)

Dick, Bernard Raymond (31200130)

2026-09-16T05:55:26Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=31200130
|surname=Dick
|first=Bernard
|middle=Raymond
|class_section=12
|class_rank=Corporal
|birth_year=1909
|death_year=2001
|nativity=United States
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=RUTLAND VERMONT
|state=VERMONT
|overseas=N
|certificate=584
|education=4 years of college
|occupation=Lawyers and judges
|marital=Single without dependents
|confidence=high
|class_number=4
|class_display=4
|birth_date=4 January 1909
|death_date=6 January 2001
|birth_place=Rutland, Vermont
|death_place=Rutland, Vermont
|rank_final=Captain
|awards=Army Commendation Medal
|awards_grid=Army Commendation Medal
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Army_Commendation_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Army_Commendation_Medal_ribbon.png
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Dick, Bernard Raymond (31200130)|Bernard Raymond Dick]]''' (4 January 1909 – 6 January 2001) was a Rutland attorney and Ritchie Boy who later served as a judge advocate officer in Hawaii and as Rutland Municipal Court judge.
</div>

== Biography ==
Bernard Raymond Dick was born on 4 January 1909 in Rutland, Vermont. A catcher on the Rutland High School baseball team, he graduated from the University of Alabama in 1931, studied law at New York University, and was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1937.

He enlisted in the Army as a private in November 1942. Because of his legal training he was assigned to intelligence work at Camp Ritchie (Class 4). In 1944 he attended the Judge Advocate General’s school at Ann Arbor, Michigan, received a commission as second lieutenant, and was stationed in Hawaii, rising to captain by 1946 as chief of the claims division for the Central Pacific Area. For that work he received the Army Commendation Ribbon. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

Dick returned to Rutland practice (Bove, Billado and Dick; later partnerships including Hackel and Hull). In 1947 Governor Ernest W. Gibson named him judge of the Rutland Municipal Court, a post he held for four years. He died on 6 January 2001.

== Research notes ==

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 92
|-
| Nara ASN || 31200130
|-
| Nara Name || DICK BERNARD R
|-
| Nara State || 16
|-
| Nara County || 21
|-
| Nara POE || 1665
|-
| Nara DOE || 141142
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Grade Code || 8
|-
| Nara Branch Alpha || BI
|-
| Nara Branch Code || 0
|-
| Branch || Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
|-
| Nara Term or Enlistment || 5
|-
| Term of enlistment || Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
|-
| Defer. Date || 0
|-
| Nara Source || 0
|-
| Nara Nativity || 23
|-
| Nativity.1 || NEW YORK
|-
| Nara Year of Birth || 9
|-
| Nara Race || 1
|-
| Nara Race Description || White citizen
|-
| Nara Education || 8
|-
| Nara Civilian Occupation || 22
|-
| Nara Marital Status || 6
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 66
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 189
|-
| Class_ASN || 31200130
|-
| Class_Name || Dick, Bernard
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|-
| Census_HISTID || D85FB636-99F0-4046-BF03-3023718302DA
|-
| Census_State || VERMONT
|-
| Census_Relate || Child
|-
| Census_Sex || Male
|-
| Census_Age || 31
|-
| Census_BirthYear || 1909
|-
| Census_Marital || Never married/single
|-
| Census_Race || White
|-
| Census_BPL || NEW YORK
|-
| Census_MBPL || 0
|-
| Census_FBPL || 0
|-
| Census_Educ || 4 years of college
|-
| Census_OCC || 14
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 4 January 1909 — Born in Rutland, Vermont.
* 1931 — Graduated University of Alabama.
* Studied law at New York University; admitted to Vermont bar, 1937.
* November 1942 — Enlisted as private; intelligence assignment at Camp Ritchie (Class 4).
* 1944 — Judge Advocate school, Ann Arbor, Michigan; commissioned second lieutenant.
* 1944–1946 — Hawaii; rose to captain; chief of claims, Central Pacific Area; Army Commendation Ribbon.
* 1946 — Honorable discharge; resumed Rutland law practice.
* 1947 — Appointed judge, Rutland Municipal Court (served four years).
* 6 January 2001 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Rutland Herald (Vermont), “Bernard R. Dick,” 8 January 2001 (RB Archive PDF copy)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-11-30 (1 post)

Gittelman, Bernard J. (32993790)

2026-09-16T05:53:08Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=32993790
|surname=Gittelman
|first=Bernard
|middle=J.
|class_section=6D
|class_rank=Private First Class
|birth_year=1925
|death_year=2003
|nativity=United States
|religion=Jewish
|overseas=Y
|certificate=6976
|confidence=high
|class_number=18
|class_display=18
|death_date=13 April 2003
|birth_place=Brooklyn, New York
|rank_final=Major
|birth_date=3 February 1925
|division=17th Airborne Division
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Gittelman, Bernard J. (32993790)|Bernard J. Gittelman]]''' (3 February 1925 – 13 April 2003) was a Brooklyn-born Ritchie Boy who served as a photo intelligence specialist with the 17th Airborne Division and later as a Los Angeles schools teacher and assistant principal.
</div>

== Biography ==
Bernard J. Gittelman was born on 3 February 1925 in Brooklyn, New York. He entered the Army in 1943, trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, and attended the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie (Class 18). In Chiseldon, England, he trained in aerial photo interpretation.

Serving mostly as a technician third grade with a photo intelligence team of the 17th Airborne Division, he saw action in Normandy, France, Holland, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and central Europe. His team’s missions included flying from England in support of the relief of Bastogne and leading patrols behind the Siegfried Line with the Division Reconnaissance Company. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge and glider and parachutist wings with the 17th Airborne. He left the service in 1946.

Gittelman married Gloria Silver in 1947. He studied at the College of the City of New York and the University of Southern California, earning a bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish in 1951 and a master’s degree in 1964. In the Los Angeles schools he worked as an elementary teacher, master training teacher, and assistant principal, including Developmental Reading Program work in five schools, and retired in 1980. He died on 13 April 2003.

== Research notes ==
* ASTP
* PI 105

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 78
|-
| Class_ASN || 32993790
|-
| Class_Name || GITTELMAN, Bernard J.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 3 February 1925 — Born in Brooklyn, New York.
* 1943 — Entered U.S. Army; Fort Benning training; Camp Ritchie Class 18.
* Aerial photo interpretation training at Chiseldon, England.
* 13 June 1944 — Promoted to T/3.
* 1944–1945 — Photo intelligence with 17th Airborne Division (ETO: Normandy, Holland, Ardennes, Rhineland, central Europe).
* 20 February 1945 — PI Team 105 attached to 13th Airborne Division (roster note).
* 1946 — Left active service.
* 1947 — Married Gloria Silver.
* 1951 — B.A., French and Spanish (CCNY/USC studies).
* 1964 — Master’s degree.
* Through 1980 — Los Angeles schools teacher, master training teacher, assistant principal.
* 13 April 2003 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Veterans / district biographical sketch “Bernard J. Gittelman” (RB Archive PDF: bernard 01.pdf) — wartime photo-intelligence service and postwar education career
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-02-17 (1 post)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Bernard J. Gittelman for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Gittelman, Bernard J. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: BERNARD J. GITTELMAN.doc)

Moura, Arthur S. (01333512)

2026-09-16T05:47:49Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=01333512
|surname=Moura
|first=Arthur
|middle=S.
|class_section=6A
|class_rank=2nd Lt
|birth_year=1923
|death_year=2008
|nativity=United States
|religion=Catholic
|overseas=N
|certificate=11229
|confidence=high
|class_number=29
|class_display=29
|photo=6057691514252719.jpg
|death_date=29 October 2008
|birth_place=Taunton, Massachusetts
|arm_or_service=Infantry
|rank_final=Brigadier General
|awards=Legion of Merit; Army Commendation Medal
|awards_grid=Legion of Merit;;Army Commendation Medal
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Legion_of_Merit_ribbon.png;Ribbon_Army_Commendation_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Legion_of_Merit_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Army_Commendation_Medal_ribbon.png
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Moura, Arthur S. (01333512)|Arthur S. Moura]]''' (1923 – 29 October 2008) was a Taunton-born Portuguese-American Ritchie Boy who became a brigadier general specializing in U.S.–Latin American relations and served as Defense Attaché in Brazil.
</div>

== Biography ==
Arthur S. Moura was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1923 to Portuguese immigrant parents and grew up fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. Drafted in 1943, he completed basic training, married his high-school sweetheart Jo, attended Infantry Officer Candidate School, and trained at Camp Ritchie in Class 29.

Moura built a long Army career focused on U.S.–Latin American relations. He earned a B.S. from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in Latin American civilization from George Washington University. He served three Pentagon tours (including Joint Chiefs of Staff duty), one tour in the Panama Canal Zone, and two tours in Brazil—in Rio de Janeiro and Brasília—as Defense Attaché. He also carried out nine special White House assignments under Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Mentored in part by [[Walters, Vernon A. (01284614)|Vernon A. Walters]], he later lectured at the National War College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Foreign Service Institute. Decorations recorded in public memorials include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, together with Brazilian orders. He was inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame and the Defense Intelligence Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Military Attaché.

After retiring in 1975 following 33 years of continuous active duty, he remained in Brazil as executive assistant to the president of Mendes Junior Construction Group. He died on 29 October 2008 at age 85 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

== Research notes ==
* Distinguished Service Medal is attested in public memorial text but no matching local ribbon file was available; kept in Biography prose only.

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 85
|-
| Class_ASN || 1333512
|-
| Class_Name || MOURA, Arthur J.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1923 — Born in Taunton, Massachusetts.
* 1943 — Drafted; later Infantry OCS and Camp Ritchie Class 29.
* Postwar career — Latin American attaché/intelligence assignments; White House special duties; Defense Attaché in Brazil.
* 1975 — Retired after 33 years of continuous active duty; remained in Brazil with Mendes Junior Construction Group.
* 29 October 2008 — Died (age 85); buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* American Intelligence Journal 36, no. 1 (2019): “Attaché in Brazil: Arthur Moura’s Long March, 1945–1975 — A Memoir,” by BG (USA, Ret.) Arthur S. Moura (RB Archive PDF copy)
* [https://archivesblog.lib.umassd.edu/2014/05/30/program-honoring-wwii-portuguese-american-veterans/ UMass Dartmouth Archives blog — Program Honoring WWII Portuguese-American Veterans (30 May 2014)]
* [https://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/asmoura.htm Arlington National Cemetery website — Arthur S. Moura memorial biography]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-17 (1 post)

Senutovitch, Andre (38050006)

2026-09-16T05:42:29Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=38050006
|surname=Senutovitch
|first=Andre
|class_section=7B
|class_rank=Cpl
|birth_year=1916
|death_year=1997
|nativity=Russia
|religion=Greek Orthodox
|enlistment_place=HOUSTON TEXAS
|state=TEXAS
|overseas=Y
|certificate=5646
|education=Grammar school
|marital=Single without dependents
|confidence=medium-high
|class_number=15
|class_display=15
|photo=5731204233568117.jpg
|birth_date=20 November 1916
|death_date=4 November 1997
|birth_place=Saint Petersburg, Russia
|death_place=Honolulu, Hawaii
|teams=MII 433
|rank_final=Master Sergeant
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Senutovitch, Andre (38050006)|Andre Senutovitch]]''' (20 November 1916 – 4 November 1997) was a Saint Petersburg-born Ritchie Boy (Class 15) who later served on the Santa Fe city council and pioneered uranium exploration in New Mexico.
</div>

== Biography ==
Andre Senutovitch was born on 20 November 1916 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and trained at Camp Ritchie in [[Class 15]] (roster association with MII Team 433), rising to master sergeant.

After the war he lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he served on the city council, was past president of the Santa Fe Opera, and pioneered uranium exploration in the state. He died on 4 November 1997 in Honolulu, Hawaii, at age 80.

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
5726820307339843.jpg
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 81
|-
| Nara ASN || 38050006
|-
| Nara Name || MATHEWS DAN J
|-
| Nara State || 85
|-
| Nara County || 201
|-
| Nara POE || 8567
|-
| Nara DOE || 191140
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Grade Code || 8
|-
| Nara Branch Alpha || BI
|-
| Nara Branch Code || 0
|-
| Branch || Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
|-
| Nara Term or Enlistment || 0
|-
| Term of enlistment || Unknown
|-
| Defer. Date || 0
|-
| Nara Source || 0
|-
| Nara Nativity || 85
|-
| Nativity.1 || TEXAS
|-
| Nara Year of Birth || 14
|-
| Nara Race || 1
|-
| Nara Race Description || White citizen
|-
| Nara Education || 0
|-
| Nara Civilian Occupation || 999
|-
| Nara Marital Status || 6
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 70
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 145
|-
| Class_ASN || 38050005
|-
| Class_Name || SENUTOVITCH, Andre
|-
| match_method || asn_near_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 20 November 1916 — Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
* Camp Ritchie Class 15; later master sergeant (MII Team 433 association).
* Postwar — Santa Fe, New Mexico: city council; past president, Santa Fe Opera; uranium exploration.
* 4 November 1997 — Died in Honolulu, Hawaii.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook memorial note and Atlas Tire advertisement photo endorsement (1954), preserved in RB Archive folder “Andre Senutovitch” (vitals, Class 15, Santa Fe civic/opera and uranium career)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-01 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-02 (1 post)

Gion, Alphonse Francis (01177462)

2026-09-16T05:40:11Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=01177462
|surname=Gion
|first=Alphonse
|middle=Francis
|class_section=5G
|class_rank=2nd Lt
|birth_year=1920
|death_year=2016
|nativity=United States
|religion=Catholic
|ipw_ge=1; 87
|overseas=Y
|certificate=2679
|confidence=high
|class_number=9
|class_display=9
|birth_date=25 April 1920
|death_date=26 May 2016
|arm_or_service=Field Artillery
|birth_place=Regent, North Dakota
|rank_final=Colonel
|division=101st Airborne Division
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Gion, Alphonse Francis (01177462)|Alphonse Francis Gion]]''' (25 April 1920 – 26 May 2016) was a North Dakota-born Ritchie Boy who commanded a 101st Airborne POW interrogation unit in Normandy, Holland, and Bastogne and later retired as a colonel.
</div>

== Biography ==
Alphonse Francis Gion was born on 25 April 1920 near Regent, North Dakota, on his parents’ farm. After Cherry Butte consolidated school he attended Assumption Abbey high school in Richardton, then returned to farm work until he was drafted in February 1942.

Following basic training he completed Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commissioned in October 1942. With German-language skill he went to Camp Ritchie for prisoner-of-war interrogation and German order-of-battle training (Class 9). In England he completed parachute training and served as commanding officer of a POW interrogation unit with the 101st Airborne Division in the Normandy invasion, the Holland campaign, and the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. Roster research places IPW Team 1 with the division (VIII Corps) from 11 February 1944; teammates included [[Pangerl, Joseph C. Jr (01590096)|Joseph C. Pangerl Jr.]], [[Coquelin, Hermann (32011029)|Hermann Coquelin]], [[Koslan, Emil H. (18031454)|Emil H. Koslan]], [[Patheiger, Frederick C. (36717392)|Frederick C. Patheiger]], and [[Goldberg, George (36720792)|George Goldberg]]. He left active service in January 1946.

Gion finished a B.A. in political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and married Rosemary Doyle of Belleville, Wisconsin, on 17 September 1949. Recalled in June 1950, he served at the Army Intelligence School at Fort Riley, Kansas, then as executive officer of a strategic intelligence unit at Seventh Army headquarters near Stuttgart. After returning to Madison for an M.A., he worked in Wisconsin state and federal civil-rights and equal-opportunity programs, remained in the reserves until retiring as a colonel in 1974, and left federal civil service in June 1979. He died on 26 May 2016 in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.

== Research notes ==
* to Capt
* BS 506 PIR
* IPW Team 1 roster (Gross NOTES, 8/27/2019): Pangerl; Gion; Coquelin; Kaslan [Koslan]; Patheiger; Goldberg. Others: Vidor; Frank; Haimann. Attached 101st Airborne (VIII Corps), 11 February 1944.

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 96
|-
| Class_ASN || 177462
|-
| Class_Name || GION, Alphonse F.
|-
| match_method || asn_partial_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 25 April 1920 — Born near Regent, North Dakota.
* February 1942 — Drafted into the U.S. Army.
* October 1942 — Commissioned from Artillery OCS, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
* 18 August 1943 — Graduated Camp Ritchie Class 9 (German IPW / order of battle).
* 11 February 1944 — IPW Team 1 attached to 101st Airborne Division (VIII Corps).
* 1944–1945 — Normandy, Holland, and Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge) with 101st Airborne interrogation unit.
* January 1946 — Separated from active service.
* 17 September 1949 — Married Rosemary Doyle.
* June 1950–July 1954 — Recalled; Fort Riley; Seventh Army strategic intelligence (Stuttgart area).
* 1974 — Retired from reserves as colonel.
* June 1979 — Retired from federal civil service.
* 26 May 2016 — Died in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Daily Cardinal / University Wire obituary, “Gion, Alphonse Francis,” 4 June 2016 (ProQuest; RB Archive PDF copy)
* Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous notes; not uploaded): ''NOTES'' entry “IPW Team 1” (8/27/2019) — Team 1 attached to 101st Airborne Division (VIII Corps), 11 February 1944
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-11-23 (1 post)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Alphonse Francis Gion for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Gion, Alphonse Francis for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ALPHONSE F. GION.doc)

Goodwin, Alfred (39094012)

2026-09-16T05:39:15Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=39094012
|surname=Goodwin
|first=Alfred
|class_section=5
|class_rank=Cpl
|birth_year=1914
|death_year=1993
|nativity=Germany
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY CALIFORNIA
|state=OREGON
|ipw_ge=33
|overseas=Y
|certificate=618
|education=4 years of high school
|occupation=Clerks general office
|marital=Single without dependents
|confidence=high
|class_number=4
|class_display=4
|photo=5962048167150388.jpg
|birth_date=4 August 1914
|death_date=28 May 1993
|birth_place=Karlsruhe, Germany
|rank_final=Master Sergeant
|division=409th Infantry
|awards=Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
|awards_grid=Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Goodwin, Alfred (39094012)|Alfred Goodwin]]''' (4 August 1914 – 28 May 1993) was a Karlsruhe-born Jewish refugee and Ritchie Boy who served as a master sergeant interrogator in Europe and later worked in the Bissinger & Company hide and wool business in Oregon and Utah.
</div>

== Biography ==
Alfred Goodwin was born Alfred Gutmann on 4 August 1914 in Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany, the younger son of David and Anna (Bissinger) Gutmann. He immigrated from Hamburg aboard the SS ''Tacoma'' on 20 May 1936, landing in San Francisco and settling in Portland, Oregon, where he worked for the family firm Bissinger & Company. His brother Max followed later in 1936; their parents arrived in 1938 and became U.S. citizens with Alfred.

Inducted on 16 March 1942 at the Presidio of Monterey, he completed infantry training at Camp Roberts, California, then graduated from the Fourth Course at Camp Ritchie on 6 March 1943 as an Intelligence NCO (MOS 631; Class 4 / IPW Team 33). Naturalized in Maryland on 8 September 1943, he formally took the name Goodwin. He served in the European Theater from December 1943 to September 1945 with Company F, 409th Infantry, landing at Colleville-sur-Mer and serving through Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge as a POW interrogator. His friend and fellow Ritchie Boy [[Trefousse, Hans L. (01590860)|Hans L. Trefousse]] inscribed a Jefferson reader Goodwin carried ashore. He received the Bronze Star and a Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster (citation dated 6 May 1945 for interrogation service in Germany, 9 February–14 April 1945). He was honorably discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington, on 26 September 1945 as a master sergeant.

Goodwin married Lottie Hirsch, whom he had known in Germany, on 10 January 1947 at Temple Beth Israel in Portland. He returned to Bissinger & Company, managing Intermountain West operations from Salt Lake City and later the Oregon branch. An outdoorsman and collector of works on paper, he was elected the Salt Lake City Art Barn’s first lifetime trustee on 6 May 1963. He died on 28 May 1993.

== Research notes ==

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 79
|-
| Nara ASN || 39094012
|-
| Nara Name || GOODWIN ALFRED
|-
| Nara State || 95
|-
| Nara County || 51
|-
| Nara POE || 9165
|-
| Nara DOE || 160342
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Grade Code || 8
|-
| Nara Branch Alpha || BI
|-
| Nara Branch Code || 0
|-
| Branch || Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
|-
| Nara Term or Enlistment || 5
|-
| Term of enlistment || Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
|-
| Defer. Date || 0
|-
| Nara Source || 0
|-
| Nara Nativity || N1
|-
| Nara Year of Birth || 14
|-
| Nara Race || J
|-
| Nara Race Description || White not yet a citizen
|-
| Nara Education || 4
|-
| Nara Civilian Occupation || 105
|-
| Nara Marital Status || 6
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 64
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 151
|-
| Class_ASN || 39094012
|-
| Class_Name || Goodwin, Alfred
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 4 August 1914 — Born Alfred Gutmann in Karlsruhe, Germany.
* 20 May 1936 — Immigrated via Hamburg (SS Tacoma) to San Francisco; settled in Portland, Oregon (Bissinger & Company).
* 16 March 1942 — Inducted at Presidio of Monterey, California.
* 7 April–6 July 1942 — Infantry training, Camp Roberts, California.
* 6 March 1943 — Graduated Fourth Course, Camp Ritchie (Intelligence NCO).
* 8 September 1943 — Naturalized in Maryland; name changed to Goodwin.
* 14 December 1943–10 September 1945 — European Theater service; Normandy and Battle of the Bulge; Bronze Star and Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster.
* 26 September 1945 — Honorably discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington, as master sergeant (Company F, 409th Infantry).
* 10 January 1947 — Married Lottie Hirsch in Portland, Oregon.
* 6 May 1963 — First lifetime trustee, Salt Lake City Art Barn.
* 28 May 1993 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-16 (1 post)
* [https://www.ojmche.org/oral-history-people/alfred-goodwin/ Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education — Alfred Goodwin oral history biography and interview (1986)]

Meyer, Alfred G. (0555182)

2026-09-16T05:38:59Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=0555182
|surname=Meyer
|first=Alfred
|middle=G.
|class_section=5B
|class_rank=T/4
|birth_year=1920
|death_year=1998
|nativity=Germany
|religion=Jewish
|overseas=Y
|rank_final=Second Lieutenant
|certificate=7119
|confidence=medium
|class_number=18
|class_display=18
|birth_place=Bielefeld, Germany
|teams=MII 409-G
|birth_date=5 February 1920
|division=MII 409-G; 29th Infantry Division
|specialty=IPW (interrogation of prisoners of war)
|story=The Stories/My Life as a Fish
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Meyer, Alfred G. (0555182)|Alfred G. Meyer]]''' (5 February 1920–1998) was a German-born Jewish refugee, Camp Ritchie interrogator with the 29th Infantry Division, and later a scholar of Soviet politics.
</div>

== Biography ==
Alfred Georg Meyer was born on 5 February 1920 in Bielefeld, Germany, the son of attorney Gustav Meyer and Therese Meyer. After the November 1938 pogrom curtailed his father’s practice, he emigrated to the United States in 1939 (after a first sailing was turned back), settled with relatives in Santa Ana, California, and volunteered into the draft in 1941 (enlisted ASN 39162439).

Following clerical duty and an Army Specialized Training Program Russian course at Harvard, the Army sent him to Camp Ritchie [[Class 18]] for prisoner-of-war interrogation training. On 6 June 1944—D-Day, and his father’s birthday—he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He crossed to Omaha Beach, served on an intelligence team under Capt. Hans Kohler with other Ritchie graduates, and joined the 29th Infantry Division (roster: MII Team 409-G). In April 1945, as a lieutenant with U.S. forces advancing through Brackwede into Bielefeld, he appears in contemporary U.S. Army film later used in a Neue Westfälische documentary about the city’s liberation.

After the war Meyer studied at Harvard under the GI Bill, earned a doctorate, and became a professor of political science, teaching in Michigan and also at Harvard and in Washington; he returned to Bielefeld for guest lectures. He married Eva Apel, whom he met at Harvard. In 1991 he received the Federal Republic of Germany’s Grand Cross of Merit for strengthening German–American understanding. His parents were murdered in the Holocaust (Theresienstadt and Auschwitz). He died in 1998. Longer Camp Ritchie and wartime passages from his autobiography are on [[The Stories/My Life as a Fish]].

== Research notes ==
* Scholar of Communism / Marxism (postwar academic career)
* ASTP Russian at Harvard before Camp Ritchie

== Gallery ==
''After you are autoconfirmed, [[Special:Upload|upload a photo]] and add <code><nowiki>[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]]</nowiki></code> here, or set <code>|photo=Example.jpg</code> in the infobox.''

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 78
|-
| Class_ASN || 39162439
|-
| Class_Name || MEYER, Alfred G.
|-
| match_method || pass2_unique_name
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 5 February 1920 — Born in Bielefeld, Germany (Jewish).
* 1939 — Emigrated to the United States after a first sailing was turned back; settled in Santa Ana, California.
* 1941 — Volunteered into the draft; entered the Army from Los Angeles as a private (ASN 39162439).
* Assigned to the ASTP Russian-language program at Harvard University.
* Entered Camp Ritchie [[Class 18]] for IPW / military-intelligence training.
* 6 June 1944 — Commissioned second lieutenant at Camp Ritchie (D-Day).
* Summer 1944 — Sailed to Liverpool; staged at Broadway, Worcestershire.
* September 1944 — Crossed to Omaha Beach; assigned to Capt. Hans Kohler’s intelligence team (four other Ritchie graduates) with the 29th Infantry Division; roster: MII 409-G.
* 1944–1945 — Interrogation and related intelligence duty with the 29th Infantry Division in Northwest Europe.
* 1946 — Began graduate study at Harvard; later scholar of Soviet politics / Marxism.
* 1998 — Died.
* 2000 — Autobiography ''My Life as a Fish'' (excerpts concerning Camp Ritchie later shared by his daughter Vera Meyer).
* April 1945 — With U.S. forces entering Bielefeld via Brackwede; appears in Army film later used in Neue Westfälische DVD documentary.
* 1991 — Awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for German–American relations work.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Neue Westfälische (Bielefeld) article on Vera Meyer recognizing her father Alfred Georg Meyer in the DVD documentary ''Bielefeld – Leben und Hoffen in den Ruinen'' (RB Archive PDF copy: BielefeldDVDKriegsende.pdf)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Alfred G. Meyer for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Meyer, Alfred G. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ALFRED G. MEYER.doc)
* [https://ritchieboys.com/DL/fish203.pdf Chapter 3 excerpt PDF (Camp Ritchie) — My Life as a Fish, © 2000 Alfred G. Meyer]
* [https://ritchieboys.com/DL/fish204.pdf Chapter 4 excerpt PDF (Europe) — My Life as a Fish, © 2000 Alfred G. Meyer]
* [https://ritchieboys.com/DL/fish205.pdf Chapter 5 excerpt PDF (postwar) — My Life as a Fish, © 2000 Alfred G. Meyer]

Pask, Albert P. (36658606)

2026-09-16T05:36:41Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=36658606
|surname=Pask
|first=Albert
|middle=P.
|class_section=7C
|class_rank=Pfc
|birth_year=1923
|death_year=2002
|nativity=United States
|religion=Catholic
|overseas=Y
|certificate=7671
|confidence=high
|class_number=19
|class_display=19
|birth_date=28 February 1923
|death_date=15 February 2002
|rank_final=Master Sergeant
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Pask, Albert P. (36658606)|Albert P. Pask]]''' (28 February 1923 – 15 February 2002) was a Chicago-area Ritchie Boy who served in military intelligence in Bern, Switzerland, and later worked in accounting, teaching, and horticulture.
</div>

== Biography ==
Albert P. Pask was born on 28 February 1923. He attended Mt. Greenwood Elementary School and Jones Commercial High School in Chicago and studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Pask entered the Army in April 1943 and trained at Camp Ritchie. He was assigned to the European theater for military intelligence duty in Bern, Switzerland, and was honorably discharged in August 1947 as a master sergeant.

He completed an accounting major and M.B.A. at the University of Chicago in 1949, worked for Campbell Soup Company and Arthur Andersen & Co., and later served as an instructor and dean of faculty at Fenger and Bogan High Schools. Around 1960 he turned to landscaping and plant maintenance, studied at the University of Illinois, and earned the title of Master Gardener. He died on 15 February 2002 at age 78.

== Research notes ==
* Chicago Tribune obituary (24 February 2002) is the principal public narrative source for service and postwar career details.

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 79
|-
| Class_ASN || 36658606
|-
| Class_Name || PASK, Albert P.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 28 February 1923 — Born.
* Educated in Chicago (Mt. Greenwood; Jones Commercial High School); Northwestern University, Evanston.
* April 1943 — Entered U.S. Army service; trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 19).
* European Theater — Military intelligence assignment in Bern, Switzerland.
* August 1947 — Honorably discharged as master sergeant.
* 1949 — University of Chicago accounting major and M.B.A.
* Postwar — Campbell Soup Co.; Arthur Andersen & Co.; instructor/dean at Fenger and Bogan High Schools; later Master Gardener (University of Illinois).
* 15 February 2002 — Died (age 78).
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Chicago Tribune obituary, “Pask, Albert P.,” 24 February 2002, p. 6 (ProQuest newspapers; RB Archive PDF copy)
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-02-04 (1 post)

Staton, Albert H. Jr. (0474449)

2026-09-16T05:36:25Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=0474449
|surname=Staton
|first=Albert
|middle=Hammond
|suffix=Jr.
|class_section=7B
|class_rank=1st Lt
|birth_year=1921
|death_year=2015
|nativity=United States
|religion=Protestant
|overseas=Y
|certificate=8586
|confidence=high
|class_number=22
|class_display=22
|birth_date=1 April 1921
|death_date=29 July 2015
|birth_place=Atlanta, Georgia
|photo=5739708542717686.jpg
|arm_or_service=Chemical Warfare Service
|death_place=Coral Gables, Florida
|rank_final=Captain
|division=77th Infantry Division
|awards=Bronze Star Medal
|awards_grid=Bronze Star Medal
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Staton, Albert H. Jr. (0474449)|Albert H. Staton Jr.]]''' (1 April 1921 – 29 July 2015) was a Ritchie Boy and Chemical Warfare Service officer who later served as an intelligence officer with the 77th Infantry Division in the Pacific and received the Bronze Star on Okinawa.
</div>

== Biography ==
Albert Hammond Staton Jr. was born on 1 April 1921 in Atlanta, Georgia. He passed the Georgia Tech admission exam at age 15, earned a B.S. in chemical engineering there in 1941, and married Mary Jane Wilson on 2 April 1943.

Staton served in the U.S. Army from June 1942 to March 1946. He first worked in chemical munitions manufacture at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, then received military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie (Classes 22 and 24). He joined the 77th Infantry Division on Leyte and served through the campaigns on Kerama Retto, Ie Shima, and Okinawa. On Okinawa he received the Bronze Star and promotion to captain.

After the war he spent his career with the family’s Latin American Coca-Cola bottling enterprises (later Panamerican Beverages / Panamco), traveling among plants in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. He died on 29 July 2015 in Coral Gables, Florida, at age 94.

== Research notes ==
* Also Class 24 JapOB
* 482T

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
5739708542717686.jpg
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 94
|-
| Class_ASN || 474449
|-
| Class_Name || STATON, Albert H.
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1 April 1921 — Born in Atlanta, Georgia.
* 1941 — B.S. in chemical engineering, Georgia Tech.
* June 1942 — Entered U.S. Army service.
* 2 April 1943 — Married Mary Jane Wilson.
* Camp Ritchie Classes 22 and 24 (military intelligence).
* 1944–1945 — 77th Infantry Division: Leyte, Kerama Retto, Ie Shima, Okinawa; Bronze Star and promotion to captain on Okinawa.
* March 1946 — Left active service.
* Postwar — Coca-Cola / Panamco bottling career in Latin America.
* 29 July 2015 — Died in Coral Gables, Florida.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* Ancestry private member tree note for Albert Hammond Staton Jr. (tree not publicly viewable; used only for identity confirmation of Atlanta 1921 birth)
* [https://strathmore-ltd.com/vip-members/albert-h-staton-jr/9a0lvvj/ Strathmore Who’s Who — Albert H. Staton Jr.]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-05 (4 posts)

Finger, Aaron (32881200)

2026-09-16T05:26:44Z

172.18.0.1: RB Archive enrichment: biography, vitals, timeline, sources

{{Soldier
|lede_on_page=1
|asn=32881200
|surname=Finger
|first=Aaron
|class_section=6B
|class_rank=Pfc
|birth_year=1918
|death_year=2013
|nativity=Canada
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
|state=NEW YORK
|certificate=8647
|education=4 years of college
|occupation=Unskilled machine shop and related occupations n.e.c.
|marital=Single with dependents
|confidence=high
|class_number=22
|class_display=22
|photo=5812455472109659.jpg
|rank_final=Second Lieutenant
|birth_place=Toronto, Canada
|division=405th Infantry, 102nd Infantry Division
}}

<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Finger, Aaron (32881200)|Aaron Finger]]''' (1918–2013) was a Toronto-born Ritchie Boy who served as a second lieutenant and battalion S-2 with the 405th Infantry, 102nd Division, in postwar Germany.
</div>

== Biography ==
Aaron Finger was born in 1918 in Toronto, Canada, to Simon and Celia Finger, immigrants from Galicia who had married in New York City before moving north for work. Yiddish was spoken at home. The family returned to New York in 1920. Finger later enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 1943.

Strong language and IQ testing led to selection for Camp Ritchie, where he trained in intelligence work, learned German, and studied aerial photography and German military organization. After the war he went overseas in the fall of 1945. In Germany he served with the 405th Infantry, 102nd Division, including time associated with Flossenbürg and duty at Hof, Bavaria, where—using his Yiddish—he worked with a Russian counterpart on prisoner exchanges and related tasks. An April 1946 recommendation identifies him as battalion S-2 and credits him with restoring border-control effectiveness along the U.S.–Russian and German–Czechoslovak frontiers; the paper recommends an Army Commendation Ribbon but does not by itself prove the award was granted. He helped host a Seder for displaced persons in Hof in April 1946 and returned to the United States aboard the SS ''New Bern Victory'' in June 1946. He was discharged in July 1946 as a second lieutenant.

Finger married Henrietta Treister on 8 February 1948. They settled in Queens, New York, where he taught junior high school history and reading. He died in 2013.

== Research notes ==
* Enlisted records use ASN 32881200; officer documents use ASN 01337697 (O-1337697).
* The Army Commendation Ribbon document is a recommendation, not proof of award.
* USHMM finding aid biography gives birth as either 7 or 8 August 1918; infobox keeps year-only pending a decisive primary date.
* Enlisted ASN 32881200; officer identification uses ASN 01337697 (O-1337697).

== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
5812455462109660.jpg
5812455458776327.jpg
5812455455442994.jpg
5812455465442993.jpg
5812455468776326.jpg
5812455472109659.jpg
</gallery>
</div>

== Technical record ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Field !! Imported value
|-
| Approx Age at Death || 95
|-
| Nara ASN || 32881200
|-
| Nara Name || FINGER AARON
|-
| Nara State || 23
|-
| Nara County || 5
|-
| Nara POE || 2364
|-
| Nara DOE || 20443
|-
| Nara Grade Alpha || PVT
|-
| Nara Grade Code || 8
|-
| Nara Branch Alpha || NO
|-
| Nara Branch Code || 2
|-
| Branch || No branch assignment
|-
| Nara Term or Enlistment || 5
|-
| Term of enlistment || Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
|-
| Defer. Date || 0
|-
| Nara Source || 0
|-
| Nara Nativity || K9
|-
| Nara Year of Birth || 18
|-
| Nara Race || 1
|-
| Nara Race Description || White citizen
|-
| Nara Education || 8
|-
| Nara Civilian Occupation || 878
|-
| Nara Marital Status || 1
|-
| Nara Height (inches) || 48
|-
| Nara Weight (lbs) || 142
|-
| Class_ASN || 32881200
|-
| Class_Name || FINGER, Aaron
|-
| match_method || asn_exact_name_exact
|-
| row_source || both
|}

== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1918 — Born in Toronto, Canada (USHMM biography notes 7 or 8 August 1918).
* 1920 — Family moved from Toronto back to New York.
* May 1943 — Enlisted in the U.S. Army.
* Trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 22).
* Fall 1945 — Went overseas to postwar Germany (Flossenbürg; Hof, Bavaria).
* April 1946 — Battalion S-2, 405th Infantry; letter of commendation / recommendation; Hof Seder for displaced persons.
* June 1946 — Returned to the United States aboard SS New Bern Victory.
* July 1946 — Discharged as second lieutenant, 405th Infantry, 102nd Division.
* 8 February 1948 — Married Henrietta Treister; settled in Queens, New York, as a junior high teacher.
* 2013 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==
* [https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn710957 USHMM Collections Search — Aaron Finger papers (irn710957)]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-28 (1 post)
* [https://medium.com/memory-action/turning-yiddish-skills-into-interrogation-techniques-aaron-fingers-us-army-journey-68b23184b5ed Medium / USHMM Memory & Action — Aaron Finger’s US Army journey (29 April 2022)]
* [[:File:5812455455442994.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5812455455442994.jpg]]
* [[:File:5812455462109660.jpg|Finger officer identification card]]
* [[:File:5812455472109659.jpg|Finger portrait in uniform]]

Contributors

2026-09-14T17:29:05Z

172.18.0.1: /* Landon Grove */

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Contributors}}
'''Contributors''' recognizes people who help research and share the history of the Ritchie Boys.

This project began with Daniel (Dan) Gross. In addition to all of Dan's years of hard work and dedication to researching The Ritchie Boys, there are others who have contributed to bringing the history of The Ritchie Boys to the public forefront, and are consulted upon for information and insights, especially in requests submitted for information about Ritchie Boys.

Please do not contact any of our expert contributors directly.

If you need any help regarding the Ritchie Boys, please fill out our
[[Contact Us]] form and we will coordinate answers for you. Thank you!

== Stephen Goodell ==
[[File:Contributor_Stephen_Goodell.jpg|220px|alt=Stephen Goodell]]

With degrees from Lake Forest College (BA) and the University of Maryland (MA), Goodell's professional career included positions at University College, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Office of Economic Opportunity, the LBJ Library Oral History Project, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. As a freelancer, Goodell raised over $23 million in grants to cultural institutions. He also helped produce ''Song of Survival'', a film about women internees during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. He and Ritchie Boy [[Stern, Guy (37413105)|Guy Stern]] co-curated an exhibition at the Library of Congress about America's response to the 1933 Nazi book burnings, later at USHMM titled ''Fighting the Fires of Hate''. At USHMM, he produced more than three dozen exhibitions, several catalogs, and documents source books for classroom use: ''1945: The Year of Liberation'', and ''In Pursuit of Justice: Examining the Evidence of the Holocaust''. He served also as the Museum's liaison with American World War II veterans. In retirement he has researched artifacts, documents and photographs for exhibits (''Secret Heroes: The Ritchie Boys''; Baltic DPs 1944–1952) and books (Rick Atkinson, ''The Guns at Last Light''; Bruce Henderson, ''Sons and Soldiers'', ''Bridge to the Sun''; and Beverley Eddy, ''Psycho Boys'', ''Ritchie Boy Secrets'').

== Dr. David S. Frey ==
[[File:Contributor_David_S_Frey.jpg|220px|alt=Dr. David S. Frey]]

Dr. David Frey is Professor of History and the founding Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS) at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has taught at West Point since 2004, after a one-year stint as Lecturer at Columbia University. He received his PhD in Central European History from Columbia in 2003. At West Point, Dr. Frey co-created and co-chairs the Academy’s Diversity and Inclusion Studies Minor, the first minor of its type at any service academy. From 2018–20, he served as Chair of the Academy’s Civilian Faculty Senate equivalent. In addition, he has won multiple awards for teaching and scholarly excellence and was honored as an international agent of change by USHMM in 2018, part of its 25th anniversary ceremonies. As Director of West Point’s CHGS, Dr. Frey has spearheaded efforts to increase service academy and Defense Department awareness of, understanding of, research into, and efforts to prevent mass atrocity. He has testified in Senate hearings, advised the Office of the Secretary of Defense on atrocity prevention, and has served on USHMM’s Education Committee since 2015. Dr. Frey also helped create and is an executive committee member of the Consortium of Higher Education Centers for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies as well as its Northeast Regional affiliate.

== Beverley Driver Eddy ==
[[File:Contributor_Beverley_Driver_Eddy.jpg|220px|alt=Beverley Driver Eddy]]

Beverley Driver Eddy, now a Professor Emerita in German at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, grew up in Western Massachusetts, where she eagerly absorbed local history about King Philip's War, the French and Indian War, and the American Revolution. After a summer studying in Vienna, her interests turned to Germanic literatures and cultures. She studied for two years at the Freie Universität, Berlin, studied Norwegian in Oslo, pursued dissertation research in Copenhagen and Vienna, and went on to get a doctor's degree in Germanic literature at Bloomington, Indiana. In retirement, she turned back to her interest in history, and the manner in which the lives of individuals intersect with cataclysmic events. Living, as she did, on the outskirts of Gettysburg, Eddy became interested in the soldiers, many of them German and Austrian Jewish immigrants, who were trained there at a secret army camp and sent to Europe as specialists in psychological warfare. Once that work, ''Camp Sharpe's "Psycho Boys"'', was completed, she turned to a more detailed examination of the parent camp in Cascade, Maryland, a military intelligence training center that produced the specialists who have become known as "Ritchie Boys." Her book, ''Ritchie Boy Secrets: How a Force of Immigrants and Refugees Helped Win World War II'', describes their training and their service on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific.

== Landon Grove ==
[[File:Contributor_Landon_Grove.jpg|220px|alt=Landon Grove]]

Landon Grove was the founding director and curator of the Ritchie History Museum. In addition to this, from 2021-2023, he helped write millions of dollars in grant applications and funds which directly supported the revival of Fort Ritchie.

He grew up ten minutes from Fort Ritchie and has had several relatives work at Ritchie as secretaries and an electrician; His high school prom was actually held at Fort Ritchie! He taught public school from 2012–2022 and returned to public school work as a Library Media Specialist after opening the Ritchie Museum. He holds an undergraduate degree in History Education from Salisbury University, a Master's Degree in United States History from Indiana University Bloomington, and a Master's of Library Media from Towson University.

== Bernie Lubran ==
[[File:Contributor_Bernie_Lubran.jpg|220px|alt=Bernie Lubran]]

Bernie Lubran is the President of "The Friends of Camp Ritchie", an educational non-profit dedicated to preserving the lessons and importance of Camp Ritchie, Maryland, and the soldiers who trained there during WWII, now commonly called "The Ritchie Boys." Bernie enjoys helping Ritchie Boy family members share stories, photos, and memories through the Facebook page, “[https://www.facebook.com/rbofwwii Ritchie Boys of WWII]” which he has run for nearly a decade. His late father, Ritchie Boy [[Lubran, Walter H. (33668332)|Walter Lubran]], was a German refugee who served in the US Army and trained in military intelligence at Camp Ritchie. Bernie and his wife reside in North Bethesda, Maryland.

== Josh Freeling ==
[[File:Contributor_Josh_Freeling.jpg|220px|alt=Josh Freeling]]

Josh Freeling is a native of Long Island, New York, now living just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating college, he managed a retail store, then became the IT director for an interior design school. He has a passion for genealogy, history, and his family. He is very active in the Scouting movement along with his wife and stepson. His interest in genealogy brought him to discover that his great-uncle, [[Kugelmann, Kurt (32906164)|Kurt Kugelmann]], was a Ritchie Boy, which led him into the "Ritchie Boy" world. He is currently co-administrator of the “[https://www.facebook.com/rbofwwii Ritchie Boys of WWII]” Facebook page, along with Bernie Lubran with whom they share information and the stories of The Ritchie Boys. He is also the current administrator of the original public Ritchie Boys website founded by Dan Gross.

== See also ==
* [[Contribute]]
* [[Photos]]
* [[Introduction]]
* [[Site changelog]]

[[index.php?title=Category:Ritchie Boys Wiki]]