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Marthinsen, John (0389164): Difference between revisions

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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
John was born August 17, 1917 in New York City. His parents passed when he was young and he was adopted by his Aunt and Uncle.
John Marthinsen was born on 17 August 1917 in New York City and was adopted by an aunt and uncle after his parents died. He graduated from Easton High School in 1935 and Lafayette College with a civil-engineering degree in 1940.


He was a graduate of Easton High School class of 1935; Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College in 1940; Master of Science from University of North Carolina in 1946. He was a professor of Graphical Arts at Lafayette College, Easton and was a member of the engineering faculty at Lafayette from 1946 until retiring in 1975. He was a Registered Professional Engineer, a member of the American Association of University Professors, a member of the American Society for Engineering Education and a 32nd Degree Free and Accepted Mason.
Marthinsen served in Army engineering assignments at Fort Indiantown Gap, Camp Hill, Richmond General Depot, Fort Monroe, Camp Pickett, Fort Belvoir, and Camp Ellis. A first lieutenant fluent in Norwegian and German, he trained as a German intelligence interrogator at Camp Ritchie (Class 14) and led a prisoner-interrogation team. He retired from the Army on 21 October 1944.


Belvoir and was a graduate of Engineer Officer School.
After earning a master's degree from the University of North Carolina in 1946, Marthinsen joined Lafayette College's engineering faculty and taught graphical arts until 1975. He also served as an assistant city engineer for Easton and died on 5 December 2002.


Later on in 1943 through 1944, he was at Camp Ritchie as part of the 14th class.
== Research notes ==
* Packet text separately gives 27 August 1917, conflicting with the existing 17 August date; retain 17 August pending stronger document review. No overseas mission is claimed.


In 1941, he was stationed at Fort Indiantown Gap. 1942, he was at the then-called Richmond General Depot, as an assistant area engineer, supervising construction, for which he received "highest commission for duties performed". From parts of 1942-1943, he was stationed at Fort Monroe, in the office of area engineer, and was in charge of camp construction, supervising the engineering aspects of plans, estimates and field surveys.
Later in 1943, he was at Fort. Also in 1943, he was a Camp Ellis, supervising the instruction of troops. He also served as Assistant City Engineer for the City of Easton during the 1950's.
His Uncle was Norwegian, and John spoke Norwegian, as well as German and English. He was predominantly Irish and German by descent. Prior to that he was an engineer for Ole-Hansen Corp., Ventnor City, NJ and Wighton- Abbott Corp., Plainfield, NJ.
John retired from the Army on October 21, 1944. 2LT John Marthinsen passed away on December 5, 2002 at the age of 85.


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 17 August 1917 — Born in New York City.
* 1935 — Graduated from Easton High School.
* 1940 — Earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Lafayette College.
* 1941–1943 — Held Army engineering and construction assignments in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
* 1943–1944 — Trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 14) as a German intelligence interrogator.
* 21 October 1944 — Retired from the Army.
* 1946 — Earned an M.S. from the University of North Carolina and joined Lafayette College's faculty.
* 1946–1975 — Taught on Lafayette College's engineering faculty.
* 5 December 2002 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* RB Archive family service summary (engineering assignments, languages, and Camp Ritchie role)
* [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/orlandosentinel/name/john-marthinsen-obituary?id=27962870 Orlando Sentinel — John Marthinsen obituary]
* [https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2003-01-08-3461016-story.html The Morning Call — John Marthinsen obituary]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* 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
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records

Latest revision as of 21:55, 16 September 2026

Record status: unconfirmed. Class-roster match confidence is medium-high. Correct the infobox if you have a source, and note it on talk.
John Marthinsen
John Marthinsen
Personal details
Born17 August 1917
New York City
Died5 December 2002
NativityUnited States
ReligionProtestant
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
Arm / serviceCorps of Engineers
ASN0389164
RankFirst Lieutenant
Camp RitchieClass 14 (2 December 1943 – 31 January 1944)
Section5D
Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.
Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with {{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.


John Marthinsen (17 August 1917 – 5 December 2002) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 14.

Biography[edit | edit source]

John Marthinsen was born on 17 August 1917 in New York City and was adopted by an aunt and uncle after his parents died. He graduated from Easton High School in 1935 and Lafayette College with a civil-engineering degree in 1940.

Marthinsen served in Army engineering assignments at Fort Indiantown Gap, Camp Hill, Richmond General Depot, Fort Monroe, Camp Pickett, Fort Belvoir, and Camp Ellis. A first lieutenant fluent in Norwegian and German, he trained as a German intelligence interrogator at Camp Ritchie (Class 14) and led a prisoner-interrogation team. He retired from the Army on 21 October 1944.

After earning a master's degree from the University of North Carolina in 1946, Marthinsen joined Lafayette College's engineering faculty and taught graphical arts until 1975. He also served as an assistant city engineer for Easton and died on 5 December 2002.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Packet text separately gives 27 August 1917, conflicting with the existing 17 August date; retain 17 August pending stronger document review. No overseas mission is claimed.


Gallery[edit | edit source]

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 85
Class_ASN 309164
Class_Name MARTHINSEN, John
match_method asn_near_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 17 August 1917 — Born in New York City.
  • 1935 — Graduated from Easton High School.
  • 1940 — Earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Lafayette College.
  • 1941–1943 — Held Army engineering and construction assignments in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
  • 1943–1944 — Trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 14) as a German intelligence interrogator.
  • 21 October 1944 — Retired from the Army.
  • 1946 — Earned an M.S. from the University of North Carolina and joined Lafayette College's faculty.
  • 1946–1975 — Taught on Lafayette College's engineering faculty.
  • 5 December 2002 — Died.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • RB Archive family service summary (engineering assignments, languages, and Camp Ritchie role)
  • Orlando Sentinel — John Marthinsen obituary
  • The Morning Call — John Marthinsen obituary
  • 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 2022-12-11 (1 post)
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