Memorial

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1st Lt Carroll J. Gjerde attended Iowa State College.

He enlisted in Miami, Florida on 21 July 1943, and received his training as bombardier-navigator at several different fields in the U.S. and upon completion of the course was commissioned Flight Officer. He was sent overseas to England in November 1944 and was assigned as a bombardier-navigator on the "Feather Merchant" a B-17 Flying Fortress of the 452nd Bombardment Group. Shortly after arriving in England he was promoted to Second Lieutenant.

Statement from T/Sgt Arvis D. Stephenson:
"At approximately 0130 we hit the target and were proceeding back over the North Sea towards England, our home base. Approximately 23 minutes before we hit the target we were hit on the right side by a ME 109, which resulted in a fire on the right wing. This fire continued during the bomb run over the target, and as we headed for our home base at approximately 0208, the right wing snapped off and we immediately went into a spin. Capt. Anderson, who was co-pilot was sitting right next to me at that moment. I was sitting in front of the nose escape hatch. I was jettisoned through the door and pulled my rip cord at approximately 10,000 feet. This was the last I saw of Capt. Anderson. Upon bailing out I landed five miles north of the coast of Pewlworn Island, located in the North Sea. It was necessary for me to swim about fifty yards to a sand bar. I was picked up about five and one-half hours later by a German patrol boat and returned to the Island. No information was given to me by the German patrols as to the whereabouts of the other members of the crew or the plane."