Albert Biddle Zintl

2LT in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Co B, 1st Platoon

ASN#1105950

Born 1912 in PA, Died 1963

County of residence at enlistment: Gloucester County, NJ

Other residence(s): Woodbury, NJ

United States Army, European Theatre of Operations

Occupation before the war: salesmen, stock and bond

College education before the war: Haverford College 4 years; post-graduate

Notes: ASN at enlistment (before becoming an officer): 32070264

Source: 603rd Camouflage Engineer Roster provided by W. Anderson; Roster of 23d HQ officers, from family of Oscar Seale; Company B Names and Addresses roster; photo courtesy of Haverford College yearbook 1933

Al Zintl was born on January 28, 1912 in Philadelphia, PA, the older of two children. His father was vice-president of a publishing firm, his mother was president of the Woodbury NJ Women's Club. Al grew up in Woodbury, and graduated from the George School in Newtown, PA in 1929. He then went on to study history at Haverford College in Haverford, PA. At the end of his freshman year, he won a Corporation Scholarship as one of the top four students in his class.

While at Haverford he played soccer for four years, serving as captain in his senior year, ran track, and sang in the Glee Club. It is not known what he did for the next seven years after graduation, but when he filled out his draft registration, on October 16, 1940, he stated that he was unemployed. It is possible that he attended law school during this period since his enlistment record says that he had post-graduate education, and he shows up later in his military career as the prosecuting officer in a court martial.

By the time he enlisted in the Army, on March 22, 1941, he was working as a stock and bond salesman. He was eventually identified as an officer candidate, and commissioned as a 2LT after completing engineering Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir, VA. He was then assigned to the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion, and served in the Ghost Army from 1942 until the end of the war, traveling to Europe with the unit.

Al was discharged from the Army on December 9, 1945 but he re-enlisted at some point. It is not clear if he was in the regular Army or in the Reserves or possibly both.

It is known that in 1949 he was on duty, serving as the trial judge advocate for a court martial at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. In 1950 he was stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Pima, AZ. A 1953 military transport flight took him (with the rank of CPT) from the Azores to Chicopee, MA; a 1954 record shows him going on a 30-day leave before returning to duty in Arabia. A 1956 flight record shows him with the rank of MAJ traveling from Germany to New Jersey.

Al retired from the Army with the rank of MAJ on May 27, 1959. He died on September 5, 1963, possibly in Germany. (This place of death was provided on an Ancestry family tree with no source attributed.)