Gordon Herbert Sterling, Jr., was born 30 June 1919 in Ilion, Herkimer county, New York to Gordon Herbert and Flossie M. (Chrisler); he had one brother and one sister. He attended John T. Roberts elementary School, Roosevelt Junior High, William H. Hall High School before enrolling in Onondaga Valley Academy; ending in Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut (1937-1939). He also graduated from the Advanced Flying School at Maxwell Field, Alabama in May 1941and was sent to Wheeler Field in June of 1941.

2nd Lt. Sterling was with the 46th Pursuit Squadron, 15th Pursuit group. He was the assistant flight engineer for the squadron. Wheeler Field, located nine miles from the north shore and 12 miles from the south shore at Pearl Harbor; would enable civilian spotters standing on the shore to provide less than five minutes warning of any enemy planes. With rumor of war abounding, aircraft were disarmed and parked in a tight anti-saboteur formation; moved out of protective cover, massed close together in the middle of the apron -- so they would be easier to protect. Ammunition was locked in the hangers to prevent it from being stolen. There were no anti-aircraft batteries as they would be useless against saboteurs and there were no air raid shelters.

Before 8:00 am that peaceful Sunday morning of 7 December 1941 when the Japanese bombers flew across Wheeler Field, no one paid much attention; the Navy and Army would often drill in the skies over Hawaii, dropping flour sacks instead of bombs as well as buzzing barracks. People in the area felt the same until the strafing began and the wing tips tilted to show the Rising Sun.

Over 100 aircraft were damaged, bullets ignited fuel tanks allowing a river of fuel across the tarmac, setting one plane on fire after another. Hanger lockers were broken into to provide the ammunition needed for whatever defense could be had. Thirty-nine were killed with 59 wounded, the heaviest from the barracks and tents along the runway. No one expected the attack. With even 20 minutes warning, things would have been different.

Gordon climbed into an idling plane, determined to fight to the finish. He gave his watch to his Staff Sergeant asking him to give it to his mother, he was not coming back. He had scheduled a date with his finance but the attack canceled that. 2Lt. Sterling was able to gain altitude and engaged six Zero’s; he was able to dispatch one before he crashed into the sea. Neither 2Lt. Sterling nor his plane were ever found.

2Lt. Gordon Herbert Sterling, Jr., (Service Number 0-411852) has a cenotaph grave at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He is also memorialized in the Honolulu Memorial. His mother sponsored a fighter plane, “City of Hartford” on his behalf and a VFW Post was named for him at Wheeling Field. The Governor of Connecticut also awarded him the VFW Distinguished Service Medal.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

SOURCES: Pearl Harbor Ghosts by Thurston Clarke; HonorStates.com;Ancestry.com; Find-a-Grave memorial

Sterling, Gordon Herbert, Jr., 2nd Lt