Robert Ringleben's Mementos
Today is Veterans Day, and I have the day off. I have no desire to watch parades or watch the commentary on the news. I want our soldiers home, but I know that is a long way off. The day brings to my mind all of the people in my family who served in different branches of the military and all they went through while serving. We only have one family member who died in action in the modern wars. His his loss was felt by all of us, although I only recently realized it. My grandmother's brother, Robert Ringleben, was killed in WWII and it changed her forever. I don't think she was really happy again after his death. His effects included two purple hearts and some patches. I honestly don't know what the red, white and blue circles are for, but they remind me of targets. The V Mail letters are just a smattering of the letters he sent over the course of his years in the service. One of them was written in March of 1945 and the letter announcing that he was killed in action is dated May of 1945. My grandmother requested a copy of his records after his death and she was sent a copy of every letter he wrote, which I don't think would be possible today with e-mail, texting and the volume of mail that goes back and forth between soldiers and their families.
Letter of Regret
I read them a couple of years back, and they show the naivete of a young man who joined the service to protect his country, who transforms into a hardened and mature soldier as the years progress. He was killed not long before the war ended, which of course is more the shame. This letter is the "regret to inform you" letter that too many families have received in wartime past and present. It's hard to believe that we can't find a better way, but I suppose that mankind will always find a reason to fight.
Telegram of Return
This is telegram was among the many items that were horded away by the Ringleben family in two small boxes. The telegram describes how Robert's body would be flown back at the US Government's expense to be reburied in the US. He was disinterred from a cemetery in Belgium to make the flight back to his home in West Virginia, where the family chose the Grafton National Cemetery as his final resting place. I can't imagine their pain at losing their son, but I can see the effect it had on his sister, and subsequently, the impact that it had on all of us.
Robert Ringleben's Mementos 
Letter of Regret
Telegram of Return
7 comments:
My name is Robert Ringleben, and I live in Melbourne Australia. It's a sobering reminder of how lucky I am not to have been born in that Robert Ringleben's shoes, and how blessed we all generally are to not currently be in a World War again. Let's spare our thoughts and heart felt best wishes to all those suffering in war zones around the world.
Thank you for your comment. I received it on Memorial Day (in the US) and I currently work at a veteran's hospital, so I see daily the blessed and the cursed in relation to war. The strangest aspect of my work is learning that not one of the veterans I work with would refuse, if given the opportunity to return to active service.
That said, I am curious about your family and your surname, because I have been working on the genealogy for my family for several years. Our Ringlebens died out with my Grandmother in 2003. Do you know much about your family's origins? Ringleben is an uncommon name, even in Germany. Any information you could provide would be much appreciated.
Karen
Thank you for your comment. I received it on Memorial Day (in the US) and I currently work at a veteran's hospital, so I see daily the blessed and the cursed in relation to war. The strangest aspect of my work is learning that not one of the veterans I work with would refuse, if given the opportunity to return to active service.
That said, I am curious about your family and your surname, because I have been working on the genealogy for my family for several years. Our Ringlebens died out with my Grandmother in 2003. Do you know much about your family's origins? Ringleben is an uncommon name, even in Germany. Any information you could provide would be much appreciated.
Karen
Hi Karen, yes I know a fair bit about my Ringleben background.
My mother has been able to trace a lot of our branches back to 1700's, but due to a lack of general record keeping in the 1800's, we can only go back as far as my great, great grandmother Pauline Ringleben from Heidenheim in Baden Wurttenburg Germany. Most of my relatives, who I am still close to, and visiting again next year, live in the town of Heidenheim and have done so, for at least 140 years anyway. She seems to have had my great grandfather Karl Ringleben out of wedlock, and he tragically died at war too, in World War 1 in France. We are blessed that my mother has just unearthed old postcards sent by Karl to his beloved Louise (my great grandmother), from the front, and they are just so formal and generally "correct", they are amazing to read. My Grandfather Albert, also went to war in WW2, was captured on the Russian front, but managed to escape and outrun the Russian army back to Germany!!! Amazing story there too, and now my father Manfred Ringleben immigrated to Australia in the sixties, and here we all are.
With the Ringleben's though, you are right, I never come across the name really, and are forever cursed with mispronounciation (it is of course like "RING-LAY-BEN", meaning "Circle of life" in German).
We have a town in Germany called Ringleben though, which I will do some more investigating on.
I hope that helps you a bit, and thanks for your response.
It sounds as though you have an amazing job!!!!
Robert - e-mail me at finijo@yahoo.com and I will send you a link to my online genealogy info for the Ringlebens. I think we are very probably related because John Ringleben came from Baden Wurttenberg Germany he married a Von Hohenstein and came to American in the 1840's. I've got dates and other info about them, as well.
Hi Karen,
I've sent my email address through as you've mentioned, and I look forward to communicating further with you shortly. (PS- my email is robert@davrosehomes.com.au)
Good day! I did some googling and I found your comments. I am looking for Ringlever which comes originally from Ringleben. Do you have relation information to following two persons:
Johann Reichard (or Richard) Ringleben (or Ringleb) Sergeant born November 1719 and died in 1777 and Antonius Ringleben (Clothmaker) born about 1693 and died in 1745 in Kitzingen (Germany)
Thanks for your answers!
Ralph Ammann
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