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William E. Aalto
| William E. Aalto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 July 1915 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 11 June 1958 New York City, U.S. |
| Nativity | United States |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch | 25px International Brigades |
| Arm / service | 25px International Brigades; 25px Office of Strategic Services |
| ASN | 32175470 |
| Rank | Captain; First Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Technical Sergeant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 5 (8 February – 9 April 1943) |
| Section | 1B |
| Enlisted | Cp Upton Yaphank, New York |
| Battles / wars | Spanish Civil War Battle of Teruel Carchuna Raid World War II |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
William Eric Aalto (born William Oliver Ahlström, July 30, 1915 – June 11, 1958) was an American soldier and member of the communist Abraham Lincoln Battalion, a unit that volunteered to fight during the Spanish Civil War for the Popular Front.
Biography
William Eric Aalto (born William Oliver Ahlström, July 30, 1915 – June 11, 1958) was an American soldier and member of the communist Abraham Lincoln Battalion, a unit that volunteered to fight during the Spanish Civil War for the Popular Front. William Eric Aalto, of Finnish extraction, was born in the Bronx, New York on July 30, 1915. From 1937 to 1939, he served as Captain with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (International Brigade) in Spanish Civil War. William worked for newspaper; Public Relations. He [Served as Captain with Loyalists in Spanish Civil War]. She enrolled in the local communist party, educating her son with Marxist ideology. After leaving school, he worked as a truck driver and was a member of the Young Communist League. He was later promoted to captain on June 5. In September 1938, with a Republican defeat in sight, the Abraham Lincoln Battalion was withdrawn from the front line and shortly afterwards disbanded. During his time in Spain, Aalto wrote: "A soldier who is politically conscious that he is right and who has a feeling of community with his society... Will do his job well." With the help of his disability pension and the G.I. Bill, he returned to further his education, studying poetry at Columbia University. At this time, he published several pieces of his writings in the New Masses. Aalto then travelled to Europe, where he met the poet W.H.
Research notes
Gallery
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Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 43 |
| Nara ASN | 32175470 |
| Nara Name | AALTO WILLIAM E |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 5 |
| Nara POE | 2314 |
| Nara DOE | 81041 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | 23 |
| Nativity.1 | NEW YORK |
| Nara Year of Birth | 15 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 472 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 72 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 212 |
| Class_ASN | 32175470 |
| Class_Name | AALTO, William E. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 1937 — 1939 Served as Captain with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (International Brigade) in Spanish Civil War.
- December 1942 — Assigned to OSS as T/Sgt.
- 17 April 1943 — Assigned to Section VIII (Close Combat, including Demolition).
- 20 November 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
- 30 October 1943 — Assigned to DEML.
- 4//17/1943 Assigned to Section VIII.
- January 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
- October 1943 — Assigned to 424th Infantry Regiment (as Pfc).
- Transferred to 26th Infantry Division, Camp Campbell.
Sources
- Wikipedia: William Aalto
- 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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of William E. Aalto for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 3 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Aalto, William E. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 3 source files: WILLIAM (and FRED) AALTO.doc, WILLIAM E. AALTO (2021).docx, WILLIAM E. AALTO.doc)