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Joseph John Gerda

No. 200836 March 1927 - 24 December 2000

Died: Arlington, TX

Cremated. Interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY


Joseph John Gerda, Sr., was born in Cleveland, OH, on 6 Mar 1927 to John and Elizabeth Gerda. While attending West Technical High School, he made good marks and worked upwards of 40 hours per week to assist his parents in supporting their family of eight in the poor working area of Cleveland.

 

His first military experience was in the Marine Corps; he was drafted in July 1945 and received an honorable discharge in Great Lakes, IL July 1946. During his enlistment, he served in the Asiatic Pacific Area, including China. This was a great adventure for the son of a steel mill worker, meeting people

from faraway places.

 

The ensuing years were spent working in a bicycle shop and applying to colleges. In 1948, Joseph enrolled in Heidelberg College with the intention of becoming a mathematics educator. His father encouraged (some say harassed) Joe about attending West Point, reasoning that if his son was going to spend time in college, he should attend the best.

Joseph dismissed his father’s suggestion with “If you get me an appointment, I will go.”

 

Joseph entered in the fall of 1950 and immediately felt comfortable with the military aspect but challenged by the academics. He greatly enjoyed the comradeship of his company. During a spring break trip to New York City in 1954, Joseph met his future bride, Dolores Naturale, a beautiful and bright Kent State University senior. A few months later, Joseph graduated in the “upper eight percent of the lower twenty percent.”

 

His first assignment, following a stint at Ft. Benning, was to Ft. Carson, CO, training recruits in Company M, 28th Infantry. The entire 28th moved to Heilbronn, Germany, for more combat training. While there, the Gerdas found time to create a life of travel memories in Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Brussels for the World’s Fair.

 

Their next assignment was to Ft. Benjamin Harrison, with Joseph on staff at the Finance School, teaching many subjects, including nuclear warfare. The year was 1963 and Viet Nam was becoming a larger part of the military landscape. In September, CPT Gerda was in Viet Nam with the Vietnamese 32nd Ranger Battalion. On New Year’s Eve 1963 and the next day, Joseph “distinguished himself by gallantry in action while engaged in military operations … as an advisor to the Vietnamese Ranger Battalion. When contact was made with a strong enemy force and developed into a battle that lasted eight hours … he immediately advised his counterpart to pursue the hostile force which delayed their action … Captain Gerda bravely exposed himself to automatic weapons fire to make front line estimates and then attempt to block the enemy action. When supporting aircraft appeared … he remained exposed to the intense gun fire to direct the armed helicopter strikes against the enemy position. Then, when an additional enemy battalion attacked the west flank … Captain Gerda ran to this position with elements of the rifle company and directed the engagement with the enemy … As darkness drew, they were attacked viciously by a third enemy battalion. Despite the critical situation, Captain Gerda courageously made trips to all parts of the perimeter … exposed himself to mortar fire to guide supporting aircraft on enemy targets. Through his fortitude, determination, and professional skill, the Vietnamese forces were enabled to inflict heavy casualties upon the enemy.” For gallantry in action, CPT Gerda was awarded the Silver Star. A Detroit newspaper reported, “when the battalion walked out of the jungle, everyone was shocked … the battalion was thought to have been annihilated.”

 

CPT Gerda returned stateside in September 1964 for three one-year assignments, first with 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry at Ft. Bragg, NC, with a three month excursion to the Dominican Republic and major’s rank; then at Ft. Devens, MA, with the HHC, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry; and finally Command & General Staff College.

 

In 1967, Joseph was assigned to Washington, DC. MAJ Gerda, who had never been a Boy Scout, quickly found himself co-founding a new troop for his eldest sons, Terry and Joseph, Jr. As a project officer at the Military Personnel Center, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in June 1968. Later, LTC Gerda

was back in Viet Nam with the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division for another year.

 

In 1971, LTC Gerda moved to Newark, NJ, as commander of the Armed Forces Examination & Entrance Station for four years. The Gerda family of eight lived in the wonderful old officer quarters on Ft. Wadsworth, 50 miles down the Hudson River from where Joseph began his army career 21 years earlier. In addition to the Silver Star, he was awarded three Army Commendation Ribbons, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Vietnamese Ranger Badge, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Silver Star, and other campaign ribbons. LTC Joseph Gerda retired in May 1975.

 

In 1976, the Gerdas settled down for good in Arlington, TX. Joseph earned an MBA from University of Texas at Arlington  that prepared him for the City of Fort Worth Budget Department, where he worked for eleven years. During his 24 years in Texas, he played golf several times a week, helped raise funds for a new church, assisted in the rearing of his first grandchild Brittani, and spent quality time with all his beautiful grandchildren.

 

Joseph quit smoking in September 2000; unfortunately, two months later he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. With his wife of 45 years, five children, and seven grandchildren at his side, Joseph passed away on Christmas Eve 2000. A celebration of his life, gifts and passions occurred a few days later. LTC Joseph Gerda was cremated and his ashes buried at West Point alongside his daughter, Deirdre, who drowned in 1975 while a freshman at The College of William and Mary. Classmate Frank Ianni and wife Carmela joined the Gerda family for a fitting farewell to a man who represented Duty, Honor, Country so well to all who were close to him.

 

—Joseph J. Gerda, Jr.

 

Originally published in TAPS, FALL/WINTER 2009

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