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Gerard Burton PETERSEN
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Source : Clive Tirlemont | |||||||
| NUMBER OF SERVICE | 37272176 | ||||||
| AGE | 27 years old | ||||||
| DATE OF BIRTH | 01 May 1917 Perley Norman county MINNESOTA | ||||||
| ENLISTMENT STATE | MINNESOTA | ||||||
| FAMILY |
Parents : Nels Gerhard & Bertha Albertine Olson PETERSEN Brother : Robert Samuel PETERSEN (PFC, SAIPAN) | ||||||
| RANK | Staff Sergeant | ||||||
| FONCTION | Cavalry | ||||||
| JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT |  | ||||||
| DATE of ENLISTEMENT | 30 April 1942 | ||||||
| COMPANY | Company C | ||||||
| BATTALION | 743rd Tank Battalion | ||||||
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| ARMY | |||||||
| DATE OF DEATH | 08 August 1944 |
Source : Joy Riggers | |||||
| STATUS | DOW | ||||||
| PLACE OF DEATH | Mortain sector | ||||||
| CEMETERY TEMPORARY |
CEMTERY TEMPORARY of Marigny N°3555
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| CEMETERY | BRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James (Montjoie St Martin) | ||||||
| GRAVE |
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| DECORATION |
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| STORY | |||||||
| Gerard "Burton" Petersen was born 1 May 1917 at Perley, Norman County, MN to Nels G. and Bertha A. Olson Petersen. He attended grade school at Perley until 1928 when the family moved to Hillsboro, ND. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith in Hillsboro in May of 1932. The family moved to Leonard in 1933 and Burton graduated from Leonard High School in 1935. He spent the last few years working in the Perley vicinity. He was inducted into the service April 30, 1942 and was assigned to the Armored Division at Ft. Lewis, WA. After his basic training there, he went to Ft. Knox, KY, where he attended Gunnery School from which he graduated in October 1942. He spent ten months in the Mojavi Desert Training Camp in Arizona and went to England in November 1943 and into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Burton was an upright, hard-working, pleasant young man who made the supreme sacrifice for his country. As a soldier, he received a citation which was a commission on the battlefield which is a rare honor bestowed upon a soldier. He received this battlefield commission just a short time before his death, as a reward for unusual bravery and heroism displayed in combat. Memorial services for Burton were held at the Bethania Lutheran Church, rural Perley, MN Sunday, September 17, 1944. There is a marker for Burton in the Bethania Cemetery indicating he is buried in France. Surviving Burton were: his parents, Nels G. and Bertha A. Olson Petersen; three sisters, Gertrude, Norma and Bette; a brother, Pfc. Robert S. Petersen who was serving in the South Pacific. Burton was predeceased by a brother, Allen Stanley Petersen. | |||||||
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(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: Staff Sergeant Gerard B. Petersen, United States Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with the 743d Tank Battalion, attached to the 1st Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 6 June 1944, at Normandy, France. Staff Sergeant Petersen’s intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty at the cost of his life, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army. Headquarters, First U.S. Army, General Orders No. 37 (1944) |  | ||||||
| SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | Findagrave.com - Abmc.gov - Clive Tirlemont |
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| PROGRAMMER | Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |