Soft launch: Soldier biographies and research notes vary in completeness. Prefer class-roster, NARA, newspapers, and other cited sources for contested facts — treat Research notes as leads, not settled history. Anyone can correct a page; contact us with questions.
Joseph Leon Edel
| Joseph Leon Edel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Leon Edel |
| Born | 9 September 1907 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | 5 September 1997 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Known for | Biography of Henry James |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32982708 |
| Rank | Technical Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 13 (30 October – 23 December 1943) |
| Section | 7A (13); E (13) |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Joseph Leon Edel (1907–1997) was a Ritchie Boy (born Leon Edel; from United States; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 13.
Biography
"(Hans Habe, an instructor) spoke about opposition within the army to psychological warfare. Old army hands regarded us as superfluous. Bullets, not words, were the staples of combat.
However, the military had to reckon with the comparatively new media of broadcasting. This was the supreme and not very secret mission of psychological warfare. There are many good non-fiction books and short stories that describe the experiences of Ritchie Boys during their training at Camp Ritchie and their service in WWII.
Books by such authors as Nina Wolff Feld, Bruce Henderson, Beverley Eddy, and K. Lang Slattery are just a few that come to mind. Also an excellent book and easy read.
Here is an excerpt from the review on Amazon: From the deserts of Libya and Egypt to the icy lakes of Scotland, from London under the Blitz to German occupied France, from Alpine glaciers to the stately homes of Britain, the book ranges over the landscapes of World War II.
Research notes
- Henry James Scholar
- to 3rd MRBC, 12/31/43
- Henry James scholar
- Author, "The Visitable Past"
- Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides (source).
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| MRBC3 | 3 |
| Approx Age at Death | 90 |
| Nara ASN | 32982708 |
| Nara Name | EDEL JOSEPH L |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 120743 |
| 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 | 32 |
| Nativity.1 | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Nara Year of Birth | 7 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 7 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 6 |
| Nara Marital Status | 2 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 83 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 993 |
| Class_ASN | 32982708 |
| Class_Name | EDEL, Joseph L.; Edel, Joseph L. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Sources
- Wikipedia: Leon Edel
- 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 2020-01-20 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-02-09 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-03-23 (1 post)