Memorial

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S/Sgt Gerald R. Helms enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 25 November 1941.

He was wounded in Sicily for which he was awarded the Purple Heart Medal a first time. He also fought in Normandy.

S/Sgt Helms was reported missing in action after he and his men failed to return after a night patrol on 2 October 1944.

He was offcially declared dead one day and one year after he was reported missing in action.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, conducted several searches of the area, but by 1950, none of the remains found around Katerbosch could be identified as Helms. He was declared non-recoverable in October 1950.

In 2015, DPAA historians began working on a comprehensive research and recovery project focused on those missing from Operation MARKET GARDEN, but none of the disinterred remains could be identified as Helms. However, in October 2019, a Dutch citizen digging a trench in the front yard of a home in Katerbosch came upon human remains and military artifacts. The Royal Netherlands Army’s Recovery and Identification Unit (RIU) excavated the site on 30 October. They conducted a full anthropological analysis of the remains and historical analysis of the material items, including Helms’ identification tags, and recovery location. The RIU concluded the remains belonged to Helms. These remains and evidence were then transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for further examination and identification.

To identify Helms’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

Helms’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Margraten Cemetery. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Helms will be buried in Elwood, Illinois. The date has yet to be determined (April 2022).