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Alphonse Francis Gion
| Alphonse Francis Gion | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 April 1920 United States |
| Died | 26 May 2016 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Field Artillery |
| ASN | 01177462 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 9 (21 June – 18 August 1943) |
| Section | 5G |
| Unit / division | 101st Airborne Division |
| Teams | IPW 1, IPW 87 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Alphonse Francis Gion (25 April 1920 – 26 May 2016) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 9 and served with IPW Team 1; 87.
Biography
Alphonse was born on April 25, 1920, on the homestead farm of his parents, near Regent, N.D. He was then assigned to a post in England where he completed parachute training in preparation for service as commanding officer of a prisoner of war interrogation unit with the 101st Airborne Division in the Normandy (D-Day) Invasion and later the Holland invasion and the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne.
Upon graduation in 1933, he attended Assumption Abbey, a monastery/seminary high school at Richardton, N.D. Soon after completing basic training he was selected to attend Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Okla., from which he was commissioned in October 1942. He was recalled to active duty in June 1950 accompanied by his bride to do duty at the Army Intelligence School at Fort Riley, Kan.
After completion of his tour of duty in July 1954 he returned to UW-Madison to complete his M.A. Having a German language skill, he was sent to Military Intelligence School, Camp Ritchie, MD., where he completed a course in Prisoner of War Interrogation and German Order of Battle.
Upon completion he chose not to become a monk, but returned to the farm until he was drafted into the U.S.
Upon separation from the service in January 1946 he completed studies at UW-Madison for a B.A. Worked as farmer and aircraft riveter. Soon thereafter, Captain Gion was assigned to serve as Executive Officer of a Strategic Intelligence Unit at 7th Army Headquarters near Stuttgart, Germany.
Subsequently, he served in various operational and administrative roles with the Wisconsin State and federal public programs for the furtherance of civil rights and equal opportunity.
Gion remained active in the reserves until 1974 when he retired with the rank of Colonel. He retired from the federal civil service in June 1979 and returned from Chicago to Madison.
On 11 February 1944, IPW Team 1 was attached to the 101st Airborne Division (VIII Corps). IPW Team 1 members included Joseph C. Pangerl Jr., Hermann Coquelin, Emil H. Koslan, Frederick C. Patheiger, and George Goldberg.
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
| 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
- Born 25 April 1920 in U.S.
- 29 October 1942 — FAS, Fort Sill. Commissioned as 2nd Lt. (ASN:01172462).
- 18 August 1943 — Graduated with Class 9. Classified as Officer in Charge (German).
- 11 February 1944 — IPW Team 1 attached to 506th PIR (101st Airborne Division), VIII Corps.
Sources
- 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)