About
World War II (1939-1945)
Ralph Ritchmyer Bouck was born in the Town of Rotterdam, Schenectady County, New York, on October 12, 1916. He was a 1935 graduate of Mont Pleasant High School.
In 1935, Ralph enlisted in the United States Navy. He underwent military training at Norfolk in Virginia. He was a boatswain’s mate second class. On the POW transport ship Arisan Maru, Ralph was a prisoner of war. On October 24, 1944, Ralph was shot while trying to flee the sinking transport ship. There were 1782 US prisoners of war aboard the ship; 1777 were lost at sea. Ralph is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Philippines.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry