Charles Abrams Kowallis

Revision as of 03:03, 16 September 2026 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Remediate place normalize (revert birth_place: Montpelier, Idaho, At -> Montpelier, Idaho, at))
Charles Abrams Kowallis
Charles Abrams Kowallis
Personal details
Born28 January 1913
Montpelier, Idaho, At
Died2007
Salt Lake City, Utah
Nativityat
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN39906108
EnlistedSalt Lake City, Utah
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.


Charles Abrams Kowallis (28 January 1913 – 2007) was a Ritchie Boy who trained at Camp Ritchie.

Biography

Charles was born January 28, 1913 in Montpelier, Idaho, at the home of his father's sister.

Charles attended Logan City Schools; Ellis, Benson, and Logan High School.

In January 1943, Charles was inducted into the army and sent to Atlantic City (Air Corps), then on to Camp Ritchie in Maryland, because of his German language.

The Kowallis family lived on a dry farm in Arbon Valley (commonly called Bannock), Power County, Idaho, which his father homesteaded in 1910. He left for the German-Austrian LDS, Mission in November 1931, and ate Thanksgiving dinner on the boat. He was released July 1934.

Following his father's death in 1940, Charles and his brother Wilford bought the business from their mother and formed a partnership. The next year he married Nina Theo Green on May 6, 1941. When Charles was four years old, the family moved to Logan, Utah.

Charles also played football, tennis, was on the track team for three years and a Four-Letterman. During depression days, Charles worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps, as Company Clerk, and played on the basketball team for them. Case Implement Company and later, the Kowallis Implement and Hardware, working for his father.

Six months later, in July, Charles was given a medical discharge. He was the third child in a family of eight children. During the winter months, his father would travel selling calendars to supplement his income from the farm.

He enjoyed sports and for three years. He played in State Basketball making second All-State team the third year. He was later employed by the J.

Until his retirement in 1978, Charles and his brother Wilford continuously ran the business they had bought from their mother in 1940. Charles Abrams Kowallis passed away Friday, January 26, 2007 at a nursing home in Salt Lake City, Ut.

Research notes

Technical record

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

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 2022-12-28 (1 post)