| Herman Bohlsen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1906 Ostrhauderfehn, Germany |
| Died | 16 August 1993 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 42060992 |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Herman Bohlsen (18 October 1906 – 16 August 1993) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie.
Biography
Bohlsen was born October 18 1906 in Ostrhauderfehn, Germany. Many West Islip residents may not know who the Bohlsen family is by name, but they might be familiar with one of the five Long Island restaurants they own: Tellers Chophouse and Verace in Islip, the Beachtree Cafe in East Islip, H2O Seafood Grill in Smithtown and Prime in Huntington. The Pine Lake Tavern was opened by Herman and Hilda Bohlsen, both originally from Germany. Herman was born on October 18, 1906 in Ostrhauderfehn and Hilda was born on August 14, 1912 in Mackenbach. When Herman arrived he lived with his brother, Gerhardt, who was already living in America. "The Tavern was most basically described as a German restaurant and bar, but not completely German," Michael Bohlsen said. Herman and Hilda's legacy of family owned restaurants was passed on to their son John. "My grandparents lived the American Dream as it was taught to us as children," Bohlsen said. PVT Bohlsen was discharged at Fort Dix on August 29, 1945 and received the Good Conduct Medal. PVT Bohlsen passed away on August 16, 1993 at the age of 86, and is buried at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, NY. Attached is a family photo of the Bohlsen family dated from the mid to late 1940s. However, the family's restaurant history on Long Island began with the Pine Lake Tavern on Montauk Highway in West Islip, across from where Saltwaters Tackle and Bait Shop is today. Both immigrated to America between 1924 and 1927. Mostly German food and steaks, hamburgers and other American food. Sauerbraten was the specialty. He and his wife, Linda, opened Arby's--a fast food restaurant in 1969--before moving into the full service restaurant business in 1983 with the acquisition of the Beachtree Cafe in 1983. "They came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a willingness to work hard. "They served their community and their country in order to give their children more than they had.
Research notes
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 87 |
| Nara ASN | 42060992 |
| Nara Name | BOHLSEN HERMAN |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 103 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 201243 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| row_source | demographics |
Sources
- Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
- 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 2022-10-06 (1 post)