The Secret Lives Of The Ritchie Boys

There was a group of heroes in World War II who rarely get credited for their efforts. They couldn’t; they were on a secret mission. Known internally among the Allies as The Ritchie Boys, these roughly 9,000 young men predicted the darkness rolling into their Austrian and German homelands. They...

By Jamie Laughlin

August 16, 2012

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There was a group of heroes in World War II who rarely get credited for their efforts. They couldn’t; they were on a secret mission. Known internally among the Allies as The Ritchie Boys, these roughly 9,000 young men predicted the darkness rolling into their Austrian and German homelands. They believed they could do more in the fight by aligning with American forces, so they left their lives behind and shared their knowledge of the land, language and culture with the other side. Trained at Camp Ritchie in Maryland, and later sent out to serve as intelligence within the European Theater, these young men were pivotal tools for fighting the Nazis, but even now, few are familiar with their contributions. Take advantage of a quick-running exhibition at the Dallas Holocaust Museum, which is located at 211 N. Record St., Suite 100, called The Ritchie Boys: Secret Heroes. You’ll learn the intimate story of nine of these men, and follow them from recruitment training to combat to life after the war. It runs through August 27 and the museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Tickets range from $6 to $8. Visit dallasholocaustmuseum.org.
Aug. 20-27, 2012

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