Gedeon Elmer John

Name:

Elmer John Gedeon

Rank:

Captain

Serial Number:

O-725601

Unit:

586th Bomber Squadron, 394th Bomber Group, Medium

Date of Death:

1944-04-20

State:

Ohio

Cemetery:

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA

Plot:

Section 34

Row:

Grave:

Site 3047

Decoration:

Soldier's Medal, Purple Heart, Air Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 1 Campaign star, World War II Victory Medal

Comments:

Elmer John �Joe� Gedeon was born on April 15, 1917, in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He was the son of Andrew Adolph Gedeon and Lillian H. Schacha Gedeon. He attended Cleveland�s West High School and later entered the University of Michigan. He earned varsity letters in three sports, track, football, and baseball, but was especially distinguished in track and field, becoming a Big Ten champion, All-American, and even tying a world record in the high hurdles. After graduating in 1939, he signed with the Washington Senators and made his Major League debut that September, appearing in five games and recording three hits, including a strong performance against the Cleveland Indians.

In January 1941, Gedeon�s baseball career was cut short when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, first assigned to the Cavalry at Fort Riley. He later transferred to the Army Air Forces, earned his pilot wings and commission in May 1942, and trained as a twin-engine bomber pilot. In August 1942, while serving as a navigator during a training flight in North Carolina, his B-25 crashed in a swamp. Despite suffering broken ribs and severe burns, he returned to the burning aircraft and rescued a trapped crewmember, an act for which he was awarded the Soldier�s Medal for heroism.

By July 1943, he joined the newly formed 586th Bomb Squadron, 394th Bombardment Group, training on B-26 Marauder bombers, and in February 1944, he deployed to RAF Boreham in England. As a Squadron Operations Officer, he began flying combat missions in Europe, with his first mission on March 23, 1944, targeting Beaumont-le-Roger, France.

On April 20, 1944, Gedeon piloted a B-26 Marauder on a mission to bomb a V-1 rocket launch site near Esquerdes, France. During the attack, the aircraft was hit by flak below the cockpit, caught fire, and crashed. Gedeon and five crew members were killed, while the co-pilot managed to parachute to safety. He is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: en.wikipedia.org