Carroll J. Gjerde, 1st Lt. U.S. Army Air Corps - MIA/KIA
Carroll Jennings Gjerde was born Sept. 30, 1917 to Iver S. and Hannah Espeland Gjerde. He died Apr. 7, 1945 and is memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands. He has a cenotaph at the Roland Cemetery, Roland, IA.
He served with the 728th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Group, Heavy. He was reported missing in action Apr. 7, 1945 and later declared killed in action. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Additional Notes:
Carroll J. Gjerde attended four years of college and was a resident of Hardin County, Iowa, when he enlisted in the Air Corps on July 21, 1943, in Miami, Florida. He was ranked as a First Lieutenant when he flew as part of the 728th Bomber Squadron 452nd Bomber during World War II. He went missing and was presumed dead on April 7, 1945. His official status is “Missing in Action or Lost at Sea.”
Lt. Gjerde was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal and additional Army awards. A monument to Lt. Gjerde resides in the Netherlands as well as in the Roland Cemetery.
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Beneficiary’s Application World War II Service Compensation, State of Iowa, shows “separation from active service—Killed in Action April 7, 1945”.
Sources: ancestry.com and World War II Memorial
