John L. Jerstad

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Major John Louis Jerstad, United States Army Air Forces, was posthumously awarded the United States' highest military award, the Medal of Honor during World War II for his actions as a B-24 pilot during the raid on Ploieşti, Romania on August 1, 1943. Jerstad-Agerholm Elementary School and Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School in Racine, Wisconsin are both partially named after John Louis Jerstad.

[edit] Life

Major John L. Jerstad was born on February 12, 1918 in Racine, Wisconsin. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1940.

[edit] Military Life

He was picked by Colonel Edward L. Timberlake, former commander of The Traveling Circus to be Timberlake's chief operations officer.

His Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. On August 1, 1943, he served as pilot of the lead aircraft in his group in a daring low-level attack against enemy oil refineries and installations at Ploesti, Rumania. Although he had completed more than his share of missions and was no longer connected with this group, so high was his conception of duty that he volunteered to lead the formation in the correct belief that his participation would contribute materially to success in this attack. Major Jerstad led the formation into attack with full realization of the extreme hazards involved and despite withering fire from heavy and light antiaircraft guns. Three miles from the target his airplane was hit, badly damaged, and set on fire. Ignoring the fact that he was flying over a field suitable for a forced landing, he kept on the course. After the bombs of his aircraft were released on the target, the fire in his ship became so intense as to make further progress impossible and he crashed into the target area. By his voluntary acceptance of a mission he knew was extremely hazardous, and his assumption of an intrepid course of action at the risk of life over and above the call of duty, Major Jerstad set an example of heroism which will be an inspiration to the U.S. Armed Forces.