PILOT KILLED IN ACCIDENT
___________
Third Ringgold County Boy
Gives Life in Service of His Country.
Flight Officer Leo V. Herrold, son of Mr. and Mrs. John V. Herrold, of the Diagonal vicinity, was killed January 18 [1943] in the southwest Pacific area [Dododra, New Guinea] in an airplane accident.
The sad message was received Monday by Mr. and Mrs. Herrold. No details regarding the accident were given. The message from the adjutant general reads as follows:
"The secretary of war desires me to express his deepest regrets that your son, Flight Officer Leo V. Herrold, was killed January 18 in the southwest Pacific area in an airplane accident. Letter follows."
A letter, written by Leo and postmarked in Australia the day he was killed, was received by his parents February 8.
Mr. and Mrs. Herrold have two other sons in the service, Hubert in Hawaii, and John, Jr., who recently left Fort Robinson, Neb., destination unannounced.
Leo was the third boy in uniform from Ringgold county who gave his life in the service of his country. He was the first from the army to make the supreme sacrifice, the other two boys, Arthur Rush and Ewing Moore, having service in the navy. He was serving in transport duty at the time of his death.
Sketch of Life.
Leo, twenty-four years of age, graduated from the Diagonal high school with the class of 1938, after which he attended and graduated from the Northwest Missouri State Teachers College at Maryville, Mo. Prior to his enlistment June 27, 1941, he was employed by the Goodale Feed and Produce Company of Diagonal.
Following 27 weeks of intensive flight training at the Gulf Coast Training Center, Staff Sgt. Herrold graduated August 5 of last year from Ellington Field, Texas, at which time he received the silver wings of the army air force.
He is survived by his parents, three brothers, Hubert and John, both in the armed service, Vincent at home, two sisters, Mrs. Gaylord Sorenson of Diagonal, and Ruth at home.
Sources: Twice-A-Week News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa, 1943, photo included
wwiimemorial.com/registry/wardept/
Submission by Theola Weeda collection, June of 2013
Portrait courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, Diagonal Centennial Book
NOTE: FLO Leo V. Herrold was interred Plot D, 264, Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California. A memorial stone (below) was placed at Centenary Cemetery near Knowlton, Ringgold County, Iowa.
