Herman John Gerdes Jr ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from South Carolina
On July 26, 1944 Ensign Gerdes was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Navy. ★ He is remembered by the people of South Carolina. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Herman John Gerdes Jr is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2015-11-08 19:59:56.
Missing : Core Data
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Missing : Supplemental Data
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Service Details
| This Profile ID | 79842 |
| Service ID | 0282812 |
| Name | Herman John Gerdes Jr |
| From | Florence, Florence County, South Carolina |
| Birth Date | April 6, 1921 |
| Casualty Date | July 26, 1944 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Navy |
| Rank | Ensign |
| Unit/Group | USS Robalo (SS-273) |
| Casualty Type | Missing in action, Lost at sea |
| Location | Off the east coast of Balabac Island, Philippines |
| Burial | Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Philippines |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Herman John Gerdes Jr is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Philippines. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. |
Additional Details
Herman was born in Wilmington, North Carolina.Auto-Generated Profile Synopsis - Herman John Gerdes Jr was serving his country during World War II when he gave his all in the line of duty. He had enlisted in the United States Navy. Gerdes had the rank of Ensign. Service number assignment was 0282812. Attached to USS Robalo (SS-273). He was born on April 6, 1921. According to our records South Carolina was his home or enlistment state and Florence county has been included within the archival record. We have Florence listed as his city. During his service in World War II, Navy Ensign Gerdes was reported missing and ultimately declared dead on July 26, 1944. Recorded circumstances attributed to: Missing in action, Lost at sea. Incident location: Off the east coast of Balabac Island, Philippines. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Action Ribbon
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Navy Presidential Unit Citation
★ Navy Good Conduct Medal
★ Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
★ Navy Expeditionary Medal
South Carolina Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of South Carolina who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. 
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▶ South Carolina was home to over 4,165 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,091 World War I
• 1,676 World War II
• 502 Korean War
• 896 Vietnam War
• 105 Prisoners of war
• 1,021 Missing in action
• 19 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 48 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 11 Medal of Honor recipients
• 1,676 World War II
• 502 Korean War
• 896 Vietnam War
• 105 Prisoners of war
• 1,021 Missing in action
• 19 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 48 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 11 Medal of Honor recipients
Guardians of Honor Credits
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Honor States Admin
Roy "Joker"
Sarah Jo "Lady Chaos"
▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
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Here is Some Important Information!
USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
Located at the harbor in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The USS Midway is a living, floating museum, housing an extensive collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California. USS Midway saw active duty from 1945 to 1992. Approximately 200,000 sailors proudly served onboard. In 2016 the USS Midway hosted one of the premier events honoring the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Among the featured memorials was a Wall of Honor with over 1000 images of the fallen. Researched by the Honor States Group.
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Grace - Thank you for this tribute to our fallen veterans. They were wonderful young men who died way too young. It is sad.
Emanual - I find myself coming back to your site often. It's important. Never forget the sacrifices made to preserve our freedom.
Mary - Thank you for remembering these men. I am certainly proud to share this with my family. We have many ancestors who served.
Lilly - I want to extend my thanks to you for doing this. It's a wonderful tribute. Amazing how much information you've found out.
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