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Martin Wardmasky
| Martin Wardmasky | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Martin Wardamasky |
| Born | 1919 Rockaway, New Jersey |
| Died | 2008 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32187433 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 19 (16 May – 13 July 1944) |
| Section | 6H |
| Enlisted | Ft Dix, New Jersey |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Martin Wardmasky (1919–2008), also known as Martin Wardamasky, was a New Jersey–born Ritchie Boy (Class 19) who spent much of his youth in the Soviet Union before returning to the United States on the eve of World War II.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Martin Wardmasky (also spelled Wardamasky) was born in Rockaway, New Jersey, to Russian-born parents. In December 1931, when he was twelve, the family left New York Harbor for the Soviet Union, drawn by promises of work during the Great Depression. He grew up in the USSR under Stalin and later returned to the United States alone only months before America entered World War II.
In September 1941 he worked as a laborer at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. He trained at Camp Ritchie with Class 19; roster notes also record a non-graduate status dated 14 July 1944. After the war his unusual path—an American childhood interrupted by years in the Soviet Union—remained only partly told until his daughter, Karen Wardamasky Bobrow, reconstructed it in Do Svidanya Dad: Tracing the Story of an American Family Trapped in the USSR (2016), drawing on a family diary and National Archives correspondence.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- See also Martin Wardamasky (RB)
- Parents born in Russia; family emigrated to USSR Dec 1931; returned alone before U.S. entry into WWII
- Daughter Karen Wardamasky Bobrow, Do Svidanya Dad (2016)
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 89 |
| Nara ASN | 32187433 |
| Nara Name | WARDAMASPY MARTIN |
| Nara State | 22 |
| Nara County | 27 |
| Nara POE | 2229 |
| Nara DOE | 71141 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | 22 |
| Nativity.1 | NEW JERSEY |
| Nara Year of Birth | 19 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 5 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 999 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 70 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 143 |
| Class_ASN | 52187433 |
| Class_Name | WARDMASKY, Martin |
| match_method | asn_near_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- Born 10 April 1919 in Rockaway, NJ. Parents born in Russia.
- September 1942 — Promoted to Cpl.
- 5 February 1943 — Promoted to Sgt.
- January 1943 — Medical Detachment (MDTS?), Lawson General Hospital, Atlanta.
- January 1943 — Served as Surgical Technician at Fort Oglethorpe, GA.
- 14 July 1944 — Non-graduate. To be re-assigned.
- 18 November 1944 — Served as medical NCO on hospital ship Jarrett M.
- Tuscaloosa, AL (4447 SCU Medical Detachment).
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Karen Wardamasky Bobrow, Do Svidanya Dad: Tracing the Story of an American Family Trapped in the USSR (2016)
- Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): MARTIN WARDAMASKY - Biography.doc
- 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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Martin Wardmasky for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Wardmasky, Martin for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: MARTIN WARDMASKY.doc)