About
World War II (1939-1945)
Ralph Ritchmyer Bouck was born in Rotterdam, New York, on October 12, 1916. On the 1920 and 1925 censuses, Ralph is living in the town of Glenville in Schenectady County, New York, but by the 1930 census, he is living in the city of Schenectady. In 1935, he graduated from Mont Pleasant High School.
In 1935, Ralph enlisted in the United States Navy. He completed his military training at Norfolk,Virginia. He was a boatswain’s mate second class. Ralph was a prisoner of war on the POW transport ship Arisan Maru. On October 24, 1944, he was shot while attempting to escape the sinking transport ship. There were 1782 US prisoners of war aboard the ship; 1777 were lost at sea. He is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry