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.
George M. Avakian
| George M. Avakian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1919 Armenia |
| Died | 22 November 2017 |
| Nativity | Russia |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32171331 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Staff Sergeant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 18 (13 April – 10 June 1944) |
| Section | 6E |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
George M. Avakian (1919 – 22 November 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Russia; Greek Orthodox) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 18.
Biography
George M. Avakian (1919–2017) trained at Camp Ritchie in class 18 with a specialty in photo interpretation. After the war he became a record producer and talent scout, overseeing jazz operations at Columbia Records and working across many facets of the music business. He died in New York City on 22 November 2017 at age 98.
The timeline research also records 1937-1941 Graduated Yale (AB, English). 6/1943 ASTP at Harvard University (languages) as S/Sgt. After being stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia and receiving specialized training at Harvard University, Avakian served in the Pacific from 1944 to 1946. During his time there, he visited the city of Hiroshima several days after the first atomic bomb was dropped; he wrote an essay, never published, about the experience. Member of PI Team 247.
Research notes
- PI 247 Phillipines see notes
Gallery
-
From the archives of the New York Public Library's Digital Collection
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 98 |
| Class_ASN | 32171331 |
| Class_Name | AVAKIAN, George M. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 3/15/1919 Born in Armenia (Russia). Religion: Greek Orthodox.
- 1941 Drafted into Army as Pvt (ASN: 32171331).
- 1945 Served with Occupation Force in Japan.
- 4/1942 Basic training as Sgt with 30th Inf. Bn at Fort Benning, GA.
- 6/1943 ASTP at Harvard University (languages) as S/Sgt.
- Class 18 (Photo Interpretation).
- JW: What did you do in the Army? GA: I ended up in New Guinea and then at the invasions of Leyte and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. I was fortunate. Even though I was a sergeant in the infantry, I wasn’t actually on the front lines. I was assigned to a rear-echelon unit. We did interpretations of aerial photos and reconnaissance work. It was an....
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 2017-11-29 (2 posts)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of George M. Avakian for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Avakian, George M. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: GEORGE AVAKIAN (2020).doc, GEORGE M. AVAKIAN.doc)