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.
Richard I. Topus
| Richard I. Topus | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1924 |
| Died | 2008 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 12156045 |
| Rank | Technician Fifth Grade |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 24 (26 October – 29 December 1944) |
| Section | 6B |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Richard I. Topus (1924–2008) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 24.
Biography
Richard Topus (1924–2008) was a Jewish Ritchie Boy born in the United States. Richard attended In later years, after retiring to Scottsdale, he taught at Arizona State University and was also a securities arbitrator, hearing disputes between stockbrokers and their clients. He attended Post campus of Long Island University; and the State University of New York, Farmingdale, where he started a management-training program for supermarket professionals. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from Hofstra University. He to the thousands of American men and boys who raced homing pigeons, a popular sport in the early 20th century and afterward, the government’s message was clear: Uncle Sam Wants Your Birds.
Research notes
- Pigeon training
- jewish1191.rssing.com — all p9.html
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 84 |
| Nara ASN | 12156045 |
| Nara Name | TOPUS RICHARD I |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 81 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 201042 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | SC |
| Nara Branch Code | 90 |
| Branch | Signal Corps |
| 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 | 23 |
| Nativity.1 | NEW YORK |
| Nara Year of Birth | 24 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 5 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 475 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 69 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 153 |
| Class_ASN | 12156045 |
| Class_Name | TOPUS, Richard I. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 20 October 1942 — Enlisted in Army as Pvt (ASN: 12156045).
- 10 January 1944 — Entered Camp Ritchie; assigned to DEML as Pigeoneer.
- 23 December 1944 — Graduated Class 24 as Asst Photo Draftsman.
- 25 October 1944 — Entered Class 24 (PI).
- 30 June 1945 — Promoted to Pfc.
- Died 2008.
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 2022-12-08 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Richard I. Topus for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Topus, Richard I. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: RICHARD TOPUS.doc)