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Thomas O. Schlesinger
| Thomas O. Schlesinger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 June 1925 Berlin |
| Died | 12 February 2012 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32997730 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 14 (2 December 1943 – 31 January 1944) |
| Section | 7B |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Team | MII 459-G |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Thomas O. Schlesinger (11 June 1925 – 12 February 2012) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 14.
Biography
Thomas was born 11 June 1925 in Berlin.
He was fluent in four languages, struggled nights and worked overtime to earn a high school diploma, then a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland (1958), then a master’s (1966) and doctorate (1967) from American University in Washington. He led Plymouth State University's Sidore lectures for several years from their inception, and he enthusiastically worked with the Model United Nations program.
In 1943, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the US Army and was sent to the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, and became one the “Ritchie Boys”—an elite unit of young, mostly Jewish immigrants from Germany and Austria who were trained in counterintelligence, interrogation, and psychological warfare.
Schlesinger escaped Hitler’s persecution in Berlin and fled to Italy and then Switzerland before arriving in the United States in 1940. He fought throughout the Korean War; participated in the Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE atomic test in Nevada in 1953; served as interpreter (in German) for Lt. General William Arnold in creating Austria’s peace treaty in 1955 and then as interpreter (in Italian) for Brig.
He helped break German resistance at the Battle of the Bulge and at Remagen Bridge. He interrogated Nazi officials and camp guards in preparation for the Nuremberg Trials. General John “Iron Mike” Michaelis with the Southern European Task Force in northern Italy, helping establish the US Army’s first overseas missile command.
He rose to the rank of major and became a Green Beret instructor at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg. And he was devoted to learning. He began work on his PhD even before finishing his 21-year-active-duty military career.
He served on the boards of the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union.
Research notes
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 87 |
| Nara ASN | 32997730 |
| Nara Name | SCHLESINGER THOMAS O |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 120843 |
| 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 | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 25 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 138 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 0 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 0 |
| Class_ASN | 32997730 |
| Class_Name | SCHLESNGER, Thomas O. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_compatible |
| row_source | both |
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)
- Facebook-linked source: plymouth.edu