Frederick John “Fritz” Gerlich Jr. was born on January 9, 1915, in North Dakota. He was the son of Fred J. Gerlich and Henrietta Fox Gerlich. He attended local schools in Dickinson and later spent time at a prep school in Annapolis, Maryland, to prepare for a service academy appointment. After returning home, he enrolled at North Dakota State College, completing two years and participating in the ROTC. His dedication led to a senatorial appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated on June 14, 1938, and was commissioned into the Coast Artillery Corps. After completing his branch training, Fred Gerlich received orders to the Philippines, where he was assigned to the 59th Coast Artillery Regiment, one of four units responsible for the harbor defenses of Manila and Subic Bays. His regiment operated the seacoast artillery on Corregidor Island.

Following Pearl Harbor and months of intense combat, Corregidor fell on May 6, 1942, and Fred was captured by the Japanese. Later that year, he was transferred to the Davao Penal Colony on Mindanao, where he endured two years as a prisoner of war. In October 1944, Fred and several other prisoners were placed aboard the Japanese transport ship Arisan Maru bound for Manila. On October 24, 1944, the vessel was torpedoed and sunk, and Fred perished in the tragedy.

Cpt Gerlich's name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines. He also has a cenotaph in the New Tacoma Cemetery, University Place, Pierce County, Washington, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org, weremember.abmc.gov