First Sargeant Joseph Ritchie was aboard an aircraft with the 7th Emergency Rescue Squadron, in an amphibious OA-10, also known as a PBY. He was a soldier getting a transport ride. It was in this capacity that he lost his life during a routine training flight off Makapu Point, O'ahu, Territory Of Hawaii, USA. Seven other men also died in that crash, one half mile off shore. They include the six member crew and two soldiers. Although the crash was observed as it happened by many people on shore and in the Hickam Field tower, and rescue efforts were launched immediately, no bodies were ever recovered. One plane crew saw a man in the water and dropped a life raft, but with the next pass, the raft and a shark were seen, but not the man. Due to the depth of the water and the sharks in the area, no attempt was ever made to retrieve the airplane. Although the mission of the 7th Emergency Rescue Squadron was to land in the water to effect ocean rescues, the official report blamed the crash on "pilot error" for flying too close to the water. Several eyewitnesses said that the aircraft was already in flames before hitting the water.

Crew, 7th Emergency Rescue Squadron:
1st Lt Harris Kamis
2nd Lt Benjamin F Colson
2nd Lt Vincent G Badolato
Sgt Stanley R Kelley
Cpl Bedford K Metzger Jr
Pfc Riego C Miguel

Passengers:
1st Sgt Joseph G Ritchie
Pfc Richard K Albert

Joseph's World War II Army Enlistment Record is confirmed by his Service Number. His birth year is given as 1908 in Virginia. He resided in Essex County, New Jersey and enlisted November 29, 1945 as a First Sergeant, though the enlistment place is uncoded. He was married in 1945 and worked in transportation as a "ticket, station, or express agent". His origin was "National Guard in Federal Service, within 3 months of Discharge". There's a notation, "Enlistment for Hawaiian Department".

Resources:

* Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records); "Ritchie, Joseph G, ASN 6710622"; database found online at the National Archives Records Administration (NARA).
* Honolulu Advertiser, Friday, August 9, 1946, page 1, banner headline article.
* Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Tuesday, August 20, 1946, page 1, headline article.
* Kamis, Harris - Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), US Army Human Resources Command.
* Kamis, Harris - Report of Major Accident, HQ Air Force Historical Research Agency.
* News item carried in numerous newspapers across the United States on August 8 or August 9, 1946, seen on NewspaperArchive.
* American Battle Monuments Commission, "World War II database".