Gerald V Howard was born on either January 18 or February 2, 1918 in Ohio to Gerald and Marguerite Howard. He had one younger brother. Gerald graduated from New Richmond, Ohio High School in 1936.

The draft registration card for Gerald Howard was signed on October 16 1940. He was listed as 5’11-1/2” tall, 178 lbs and blue eyes, blonde hair and a light complexion.

Gerald Howard was assigned service number 101119. “1Lt. Gerald V Howard, Jr., was a paratrooper from Co. I, 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, being transported on board a C-4A Skytrain (#42-100905) from the 95th Troop Carrier Squadron, 440th Troop Carrier Group…being flown to Drop Zone D in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, in support of the D-day landings. Howard was the jumpmaster of the troopers on the transport, code-named Chalk 15, which was brought down by German anti-aircraft fire west of Magneville with the loss of Howard, the other 17 paratroopers from his battalion and the transport’s 4-man crew.

“The Third Battalion had the unfortunate ability to hit their drop zone right on the mark. As a result of this, 2 of 3 plants in the battalion that were shot down were from I Company. The first plane to go down was Chalk 15 carrying a mixture of men from 1st Platoon and HQ section. The Jumpmaster was 1st Lt Gerald Howard, Jr. and the Pilot was 1st Lt Ray Pullen. Chalk 15 had been 1 of three planes randomly selected to carry additional ammunition in Wing Bundles, in these cases TNT. A German Tracer round hit one of the bundles and the plane exploded in mid air.”

1st Lieutenant Howard was buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium, Plot B Row 42, Grave 93. For his valiant service he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Sources:

honorstates.org

Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations

US, World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas

1920 US Federal Census – Ohio, Clermont, Ohio

1930 US Federal Census – New Richmond, Clermont, Ohio

US, Headstone and Interment Records for US, Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949

US, World War II Draft Cars Young Men, 1940-1947

US, Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945

“The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion”, ww2-airborne.us/uits/506/506_trp_3html

Dennis and Gerda Hermsen, WWIIMemorial.com, WW2-airborne.us)

Newspapers.com (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio) 5 August 1944

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 here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story

1st Lt. Gerald V Howard, recipient of a Bronze Star