BLAIR, Gerald Howard

1920 - 1989  (68 years)

• Name	BLAIR, Gerald Howard
  Birth	3 Nov 1920	Menard County, Illinois   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	BLAI.G001
  _FGRAVE	71515802
  Military Service	World War II, Technician Fifth Grade, Battery A, 591st Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion, United States Army  [3]
  	Entered active service as a draftee on August 27, 1942 at Scott Field, Illinois. Selected for the Coast Artillery Corps, completed basic training and qualified in the military occupational specialty of supply clerk (835). Departed the Continental U.S. on April 15, 1943 bound for Alaska. Assigned to and served with Battery A, 591st Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion in the Aleutian Campaign based on Attu. Returned to the U.S. in December 1944 and re-deployed to the Pacific Theater Of Operations in August 1945 after the war ended. Earned the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 1 bronze battle star and the WWII Victory Medal. Honorably discharged as a Technician Fifth Grade on November 16, 1945 at the Separation Center, Camp Grant, Illinois. This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission. Source: https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2064118
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Army
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Military Service Ribbons, Blair, Gerald Howard (1920-1989) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Army
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		Camp Grant, Illinois
  		Asiatic-Pacific Theater, World War II
  		Aleutian Islands Campaign
  		Attu Island
  		Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  		World War II Honoree, Blair, Gerald H. (1920-1989)
  Death	19 Aug 1989	Effingham, Effingham County, Illinois   [1, 4]
  Burial	Stewardson Cemetery, Stewardson, Shelby County, Illinois   [1]
  		Headstone, Blair, Gerald Howard
  Person ID	I21464	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	28 May 2023

  
  

  Father	Blair, Howard H.,   b. 15 Jul 1895, Illinois d. 22 Jun 1978 (Age 82 years)
  Mother	TRAUB, Dora B.,   b. 10 Mar 1894, Illinois d. 22 Jun 1978 (Age 84 years)
  Family ID	F9566	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	CARROLL, Martha Evelyn,   b. 15 Dec 1927, Effingham, Effingham County, Illinois d. 24 Jun 2001, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Decatur, Macon County, Illinois (Age 73 years)
  Family ID	F9567	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 3 Nov 1920 - Menard County, Illinois Death - 19 Aug 1989 - Effingham, Effingham County, Illinois Burial - - Stewardson Cemetery, Stewardson, Shelby County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S5902] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Blair, Gerald Howard, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71515802/gerald-howard-blair), none. (Reliability: 2). [S347] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (District 13-4) (Township), image 23, page 12a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00087?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.as) (Reliability: 3). [S5579] World War II Honoree, Gerald H. Blair, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=2064118) (Reliability: 2). [S5896] Obituary, Blair, Dale L., 77, none. (Reliability: 2).