|
|
| Line 26: |
Line 26: |
|
| |
|
| == Biography == | | == Biography == |
| Fritz Gustav Anton Kraemer (July 3, 1908 – September 8, 2003) was an American military educator and advisor. He was Senior Civilian Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff. He is often credited with discovering Henry Kissinger, with whom he maintained a close relationship, and Alexander Haig. alt=Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. Kraemer, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, and President of the United States of America Richard Nixon at the Oval Office, The White House in Washington DC.|thumb|400x400px|Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. Kraemer, National Security Advisor [[Henry Kissinger, and President of the United States of America Richard Nixon at the Oval Office, The White House in Washington DC.]] Kraemer, a Lutheran with a dislike for Nazis, escaped Nazi Germany for America in 1939, leaving behind his wife and son. He was drafted and became a U.S. citizen as an inductee and joined the United States Army in April 1943 ("with two PhDs and one monocle") as an infantryman in the 84th Infantry Division (the "Railsplitter"). His time served at Camp Ritchie classifies him as one of the thousands of Ritchie Boys. Kraemer fought in the Battle of the Bulge and in the battles of the Ruhr and Rhineland, earning a Battlefield Commission and a Bronze Star in the liberation of his former homeland. In 1945 Kraemer was reunited with his wife and son and returned to Washington, DC, in 1947. He left active duty in 1948 and retired from the Army Reserve in 1963 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Kraemer died at the age of 95 on September 8, 2003, in Washington, D.C., and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on October 8. He was honored by former Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger and his former students Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig. “He stimulated my thoughts because he had all these experiences and insights,” Schlesinger said. Former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld referred Kraemer as "a true keeper of the flame". Kissinger said that Kraemer was "the greatest single influence of my formative years. An extraordinary man who will be part of my life as long as I draw breath." | | Fritz Gustav Anton Kraemer (July 3, 1908 – September 8, 2003) was an American military educator and advisor. A Lutheran who opposed Nazism, he left Germany for the United States in 1939. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 and served with the 84th Infantry Division before working in military intelligence. His Camp Ritchie service made him one of the Ritchie Boys. He later served as Senior Civilian Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff and influenced a generation of military and government leaders, including Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig. Kraemer died in Washington, D.C., and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. |
|
| |
|
| == Research notes == | | == Research notes == |
| Line 94: |
Line 94: |
|
| |
|
| == Timeline == | | == Timeline == |
| * 7/3/1908 Born in Germany (Protestant). (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 5) | | * 3 July 1908 — Born in Germany. |
| * 7/20/1943 Assigned to Company “G”. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 16) | | * June 1943 — Arrived at Camp Ritchie as a private with German and Italian language knowledge. |
| * 7/23/1943 Started Class 10 (IPW Ge) but did not graduate (no explanation). (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 17) | | * 20 July 1943 — Assigned to Company G. |
| * NOTE: Certain information from the NARA enlistment website differs from that found in Kraemer’s Wikipedia article and from the Camp Ritchie personnel cards. According to the official enlistment record for Fritz A. Kraemer (ASN 33741993) on the NARA website, he enlisted on May 21, 1943 (not April 1943) at Fort Myer VA. The enlistment record further states.... (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 45)
| | * July 1943 — Began Class 10; the timeline notes that he did not graduate, without explaining why. |
| * 6/1943 Arrived as Pvt at Camp Ritchie. Knowledge of German, Italian,. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 14)
| | * 1944–1945 — Served with the 84th Infantry Division and received a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant and the Bronze Star Medal. |
| * Battlefield commission (2nd Lt.) Bronze Star Medal for effecting. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 24) | | * 1963 — Retired from the Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. |
| * Battlefield commission (2nd Lt.) Bronze Star Medal for effecting. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 24)
| |
| * Battlefield commission (2nd Lt.) Bronze Star Medal for effecting. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 24)
| |
| * Retired from Army Reserves as Lt. Col. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 27) | |
| * TX (S.O. 209). Assigned to 84th Infantry Division (maneuvers at. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 20)
| |
| * The Personnel card which normally provides information on assignment (Special Order), and on family or friend to be notified was not found (Box 24). OSS File not found at NARA. (Dan Gross private research timeline; FRITZ G. A. KRAEMER.doc, page unknown; paragraph 42)
| |
|
| |
|
| == Sources == | | == Sources == |