William E. Holtzer

Record status: unconfirmed. Class-roster match confidence is medium-high. Correct the infobox if you have a source, and note it on talk.

William E. Holtzer
Personal details
Born	8 September 1916 Rock Island, Illinois
Died	30 October 2002 Rock Island, Illinois
Nativity	United States
Religion	Catholic
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	36014277
Rank	Sergeant
Camp Ritchie	Class 26 (3 January – 3 March 1945)
Section	4B
Enlisted	Chicago, Illinois

Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.

Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with {{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.

William E. Holtzer (8 September 1916 – 30 October 2002) was a Rock Island–born Class 26 Ritchie Boy who worked in Army counterintelligence in the United States and Germany.

Biography

William E. Holtzer was born on 8 September 1916 in Rock Island, Illinois, the son of Emil and Mae Evans Holtzer. He graduated from Rock Island High School in 1934 and from St. Ambrose College in 1939 with a bachelor’s degree in economics; he played on Ambrose’s undefeated football teams and was later inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame (1988).

Holtzer enlisted on 31 March 1941. He trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 26) and served in counterintelligence in the United States and Germany. On 17 February 1945 he married Marjorie M. Freeman at Camp Ritchie.

After the war he worked as a claims adjuster, including long service with Fireman’s Fund and Employers Mutual, retiring in 1981. He coached youth football in the Quad Cities, belonged to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rock Island, and was named an Illinois Volunteer of the Year in 1986. Holtzer died on 30 October 2002 in the Rock Island area; military honors were rendered by Moline American Legion Post 246.

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	86
Nara ASN	36014277
Nara Name	HOLTZER WILLIAM E
Nara State	61
Nara County	161
Nara POE	6120
Nara DOE	310341
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	9
Term of enlistment	Three year enlistment
Defer. Date	0
Nara Source	0
Nara Nativity	61
Nativity.1	ILLINOIS
Nara Year of Birth	16
Nara Race	1
Nara Race Description	White citizen
Nara Education	8
Nara Civilian Occupation	101
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	68
Nara Weight (lbs)	218
Class_ASN	38014277
Class_Name	HOLTZER, William F.
match_method	asn_near_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 8 September 1916 — Born in Rock Island, Illinois.
• 1934 — Graduated Rock Island High School.
• 1939 — B.A. economics, St. Ambrose College.
• 31 March 1941 — Enlisted in the U.S. Army.
• — Trained at Camp Ritchie, Class 26; counterintelligence service.
• 17 February 1945 — Married Marjorie M. Freeman at Camp Ritchie.
• 1981 — Retired from insurance claims work.
• 30 October 2002 — Died; age 86.

Sources

• RB Archive ProQuest / Dispatch-Argus (Moline) obituary, William E. Holtzer, 29–31 October 2002
• 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 2023-02-08 (1 post)