Elmer Gedeon
Encyclopedia
Elmer John Gedeon is one of only two Major League Baseball
players killed in action
during World War II
. He was also a multi-sport star in college at the University of Michigan
. He flew several missions in the European Theater of Operations
as an officer
of the United States Army Air Force before his final, fatal military operation
.
At Michigan, Gedeon became an All-American in track and field
, and earned varsity letter
s in both American football
and baseball
. He tied a world record
in the high hurdles
in 1938. After graduating, Gedeon had a stint in Major League Baseball as an outfielder
for the Washington Senators
. Gedeon spent most of the 1939 and 1940 baseball seasons in the minor leagues, but he was called up to the Senators in September 1939.
Gedeon's baseball career was cut short when he was drafted by the United States Army
in early 1941. He trained as a bomber
pilot, and was decorated for bravery after his plane crashed on a training flight in 1942. He later served in combat, and was shot down and killed while piloting
a B-26 bomber
on a mission over France in April 1944.
, Gedeon was a star athlete at Cleveland's West High School, where he was a member of the class of 1935. He was a athlete who excelled in American football, baseball, and track and field
. While ice skating
in Brookside Park
in Cleveland as a youth, the ice gave way and Gedeon's cousin plunged through up to his neck. The cousin later recalled: "Elmer slid across the ice on his belly and pulled me out." Gedeon's uncle, Joe Gedeon
, was a Major League Baseball
player who was implicated in the Chicago Black Sox scandal
.
Gedeon's surname
was common in Cleveland, because many people from Sudetenland
, where it was common, settled in Cleveland. The phonebook listed numerous Gedeons for biographical research. One finding was that Gedeon's widow, who was named Laura, later moved to Florida. Another was that his third cousin Charlotte Gedeon said Elmer carried her grandmother's casket
during a funeral.
in 1935 where he earned varsity letter
s in three sports: baseball, football, and track and field. Gedeon's best sport was track and field, in which he was a two-time Big Ten Conference
champion in the outdoor 120-yard high hurdles and indoor 70-yard high hurdles. In March 1938, Gedeon tied the American indoor record in the 70 yards (64 m) high hurdles at the Big Ten meet in Chicago. He went on to tie a world record in the Illinois Relays, and then won the Big Ten title despite an injury. He also led Michigan to victory in the March 1939 Big Ten indoor track and field meet in Chicago. Michigan won both the Big Ten outdoor and indoor championships in 1938–1939. At the 1938 outdoor National Collegiate Athletic Association
championships, he placed third in the 120 yards (109.7 m) hurdles and became an All-American in track and field.
Gedeon also wore #51 for the Michigan Wolverines football
program from 1936 to 1938, earning three varsity letters in football. In 1937, a feature article on the Michigan team noted that, in addition to his abilities as an end, “Gedeon can pass and punt, and can run faster than any one on the squad.” In 1938, Gedeon played end in Coach Fritz Crisler
's first season as Michigan's football coach. That was the year that Coach Crisler introduced the "winged football helmet
" at Michigan. Team captain
Fred Janke recalled Gedeon was "a tall, skinny guy," at 6 inch and 196 lb (88.9 kg; 14 st). "A rather serious kid. He could kick quite well. They used to pull him back in serious situations and let him punt
the ball, because he could punt it a mile."
In baseball, Gedeon played both first base and the outfield
for the Michigan Wolverines baseball
team. He was a two-time letterman in baseball and batted .320.
after graduating in the summer of 1939. He chose to sign with the Senators over a possible appearance as a member of the USA's track team in the 1940 Summer Olympics
. Gedeon was quite a prospect; Clark Griffith
, president of the Senators, mentioned Gedeon to The Sporting News
on June 15, when talking about exciting new players: "We've got ... a youngster from the University of Michigan named Gedeon." Gedeon was initially assigned to a minor league baseball
team in Orlando, Florida
where he played in 67 games in 1939. In mid-September, he was called up to the major leagues where he appeared in five games as an outfielder with three hits, one run and one RBI. His three hits came in a 10–9 win against the Cleveland Indians
on September 19 as the starting centerfielder. In his five major league games, he played four games in center field and one in right field.
In 1940, Gedeon attended spring training with the Senators in Orlando, seeking a spot in the outfield or first base. In February 1940, newspapers ran a wire service photograph of Gedeon hurdling over Senators first baseman Jimmy Wasdell
, supposedly "by way of warming up". returned to the minor leagues where he played for the Charlotte Hornets
(in the Piedmont League
) and hit .271 in 131 games. He was again recalled in September, but he made no appearances in any games. It appeared 1941 would see Gedeon moving to play more minor league baseball for either Greenville or Springfield. In the interim Gedeon served as an assistant football coach at Michigan.
and reported to the Cavalry Replacement Center at Fort Riley
on March 18. He immediately became an acting corporal of Troop B of the First Squadron for the thirteen-week training program. The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan owns a copy of an April 1941 fraternity
newsletter with a note from Gedeon. "As you probably know by this time," he wrote to his Phi Gamma Delta
brothers, "Old Ged has been drafted." On being assigned to the cavalry, Gedeon joked in the letter to his fraternity that "the only horse I ever saw in my life was the one the milkman used."
On October 22, 1941, Gedeon was accepted into pilot training despite his size and transferred to the United States Army Air Forces
, earning his pilot's wings and a commission as a second lieutenant at Williams Field, Arizona
in May 1942. He undertook twin-egined bomber training with the 21st Bomb Group
at MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida
. On August 9, 1942, Gedeon was flying as the navigator
in a B-25 that crashed in the middle of a swamp on take off from the municipal airport at Raleigh, North Carolina
. Gedeon crawled from the burning bomber, and despite burns and three broken ribs, he went back into the wreckage, rescuing a crewmate, Corporal John R. Rarrat, who had suffered a broken back and two broken legs. Two crew members died in the crash, and Gedeon spent 12 weeks in the hospital recovering from his broken ribs and burns to his back, hands, face and legs, some requiring skin grafts. First Lt.
Gedeon was awarded the Soldier's Medal
for heroism and bravery by Major General St. Clair Strett in what was described as “one of the most colorful ceremonies ever held at MacDill Field.
"I'll be back in baseball after the war," he had said on his last leave
before going overseas. Gedeon's cousin recalled: "The last time I saw him, he told me, 'I had my accident. It's going to be good flying from now on.' He said he had used up his bad luck." In February 1943, the Associated Press
ran a feature story about Gedeon’s war service under the headline: “Gedeon Will Return to Baseball If War Doesn’t Last Too Long.” Gedeon was quoted in the article as saying “he hopes to pick up after the war where he left off.” He added that “it’s a matter of time.” “If the war ends before I’m past the playing age I’ll return to the game. If I’m too old, I’ll do something else.”
In July 1943, Gedeon was among personnel from the 21st BG that became the cadre of the 586th Bomb Squadron
, 394th Bombardment Group
United States Army Air Forces
, formed to train with Martin B-26 Marauder
s. At Ardmore Army Air Field
, Oklahoma
, he participated in group operational training in preparation for combat. In February 1944, the group was sent to RAF Boreham
, England
, to become part of the Ninth Air Force
. Gedeon was assigned as Squadron Operations Officer and began flying combat missions in Europe. His first mission was to attack an airfield at Beaumont-le-Roger
, France, on March 23, 1944.
On April 20, 1944, Gedeon piloted one of 36 B-26's that left Boreham in the late afternoon to attack a V-1 "buzz bomb" site being constructed at Esquerdes
, a village in the Pas-de-Calais near Saint-Omer
. Led by Capt. Darrell Lindsey, it was the group's thirteenth mission. Attacking after dusk from 12,000 feet, the group encountered intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire, and Gedeon's plane was hit by flak below the cockpit just after bombing. Gedeon's co-pilot, his clothes on fire, was able to parachute
from the bomber as it plunged towards the ground, but Gedeon and five other crew members were killed. Gedeon was initially reported as missing in action and it was not until May 1945 that his family received word that his grave had been located in a small British army cemetery at Saint-Pol
, France. Gedeon's body was later returned to the United States, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
.
Gedeon and Harry O'Neill
of the Philadelphia Athletics
, killed at Iwo Jima
, were the only Major League Baseball
players killed in World War II. The two have become symbols of "baseball's sacrifice" in the war effort. As the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
proclaims: "Ballplayers, like every other American citizen, understand the importance of giving one's self for their country." After the war, a scholarship in Gedeon’s name was established at the University of Michigan. Gedeon was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
for track and baseball in 1983. He was the sixth Michigan athlete inducted for his contributions in multiple sports.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was also a multi-sport star in college at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He flew several missions in the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
as an officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
of the United States Army Air Force before his final, fatal military operation
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
.
At Michigan, Gedeon became an All-American in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, and earned varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in both American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He tied a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
in the high hurdles
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
in 1938. After graduating, Gedeon had a stint in Major League Baseball as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. Gedeon spent most of the 1939 and 1940 baseball seasons in the minor leagues, but he was called up to the Senators in September 1939.
Gedeon's baseball career was cut short when he was drafted by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in early 1941. He trained as a bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
pilot, and was decorated for bravery after his plane crashed on a training flight in 1942. He later served in combat, and was shot down and killed while piloting
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
a B-26 bomber
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
on a mission over France in April 1944.
Growing up in Cleveland
Born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Gedeon was a star athlete at Cleveland's West High School, where he was a member of the class of 1935. He was a athlete who excelled in American football, baseball, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. While ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
in Brookside Park
Old Brooklyn
Old Brooklyn is a west side neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, extending east-to-west from the Cuyahoga River to the City of Brooklyn and north-to-south from the Brookside Park Valley to the City of Parma. Originally a portion of Brooklyn Township, the area was settled permanently in 1814 as the...
in Cleveland as a youth, the ice gave way and Gedeon's cousin plunged through up to his neck. The cousin later recalled: "Elmer slid across the ice on his belly and pulled me out." Gedeon's uncle, Joe Gedeon
Joe Gedeon
Elmer Joseph Gedeon was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Washington Senators, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Browns....
, was a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who was implicated in the Chicago Black Sox scandal
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series...
.
Gedeon's surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
was common in Cleveland, because many people from Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
, where it was common, settled in Cleveland. The phonebook listed numerous Gedeons for biographical research. One finding was that Gedeon's widow, who was named Laura, later moved to Florida. Another was that his third cousin Charlotte Gedeon said Elmer carried her grandmother's casket
Casket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
during a funeral.
Collegiate athletics
Gedeon enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1935 where he earned varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in three sports: baseball, football, and track and field. Gedeon's best sport was track and field, in which he was a two-time Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
champion in the outdoor 120-yard high hurdles and indoor 70-yard high hurdles. In March 1938, Gedeon tied the American indoor record in the 70 yards (64 m) high hurdles at the Big Ten meet in Chicago. He went on to tie a world record in the Illinois Relays, and then won the Big Ten title despite an injury. He also led Michigan to victory in the March 1939 Big Ten indoor track and field meet in Chicago. Michigan won both the Big Ten outdoor and indoor championships in 1938–1939. At the 1938 outdoor National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
championships, he placed third in the 120 yards (109.7 m) hurdles and became an All-American in track and field.
Gedeon also wore #51 for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
program from 1936 to 1938, earning three varsity letters in football. In 1937, a feature article on the Michigan team noted that, in addition to his abilities as an end, “Gedeon can pass and punt, and can run faster than any one on the squad.” In 1938, Gedeon played end in Coach Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
's first season as Michigan's football coach. That was the year that Coach Crisler introduced the "winged football helmet
Winged Football Helmet
The winged football helmet is a helmet bearing a distinctive two-toned painted design that typically has sharp outward curves over the forehead forming a wing. It is worn most popularly by the University of Michigan Wolverines.-History:...
" at Michigan. Team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
Fred Janke recalled Gedeon was "a tall, skinny guy," at 6 inch and 196 lb (88.9 kg; 14 st). "A rather serious kid. He could kick quite well. They used to pull him back in serious situations and let him punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
the ball, because he could punt it a mile."
In baseball, Gedeon played both first base and the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
for the Michigan Wolverines baseball
Michigan Wolverines baseball
The Michigan Wolverines baseball team represents the University of Michigan in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Michigan athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big Ten Conference...
team. He was a two-time letterman in baseball and batted .320.
Professional baseball
Gedeon signed with the Washington SenatorsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
after graduating in the summer of 1939. He chose to sign with the Senators over a possible appearance as a member of the USA's track team in the 1940 Summer Olympics
1940 Summer Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad and originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan, were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II...
. Gedeon was quite a prospect; Clark Griffith
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...
, president of the Senators, mentioned Gedeon to The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
on June 15, when talking about exciting new players: "We've got ... a youngster from the University of Michigan named Gedeon." Gedeon was initially assigned to a minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
where he played in 67 games in 1939. In mid-September, he was called up to the major leagues where he appeared in five games as an outfielder with three hits, one run and one RBI. His three hits came in a 10–9 win against the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on September 19 as the starting centerfielder. In his five major league games, he played four games in center field and one in right field.
In 1940, Gedeon attended spring training with the Senators in Orlando, seeking a spot in the outfield or first base. In February 1940, newspapers ran a wire service photograph of Gedeon hurdling over Senators first baseman Jimmy Wasdell
Jimmy Wasdell
James Charles Wasdell born in Cleveland, Ohio was an Outfielder and First Baseman for the Washington Senators , Brooklyn Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians .He helped the Dodgers win the 1941 National League Pennant.In 11 seasons he played in 888 Games and...
, supposedly "by way of warming up". returned to the minor leagues where he played for the Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (baseball)
The Charlotte Hornets was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club was originally founded in 1901, and lasted in some form until 1973, capturing 11 league titles during its history...
(in the Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
) and hit .271 in 131 games. He was again recalled in September, but he made no appearances in any games. It appeared 1941 would see Gedeon moving to play more minor league baseball for either Greenville or Springfield. In the interim Gedeon served as an assistant football coach at Michigan.
Military service and death in World War II
Gedeon was drafted into the military in January 1941, and reported to the Army instead of spring training. He was inducted at Fort Thomas, KentuckyFort Thomas, Kentucky
Fort Thomas is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, on the southern bank of the Ohio River and the site of an 1890 US Army post. The population was 16,325 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in Campbell County and it is officially part of the Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky metropolitan...
and reported to the Cavalry Replacement Center at Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
on March 18. He immediately became an acting corporal of Troop B of the First Squadron for the thirteen-week training program. The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan owns a copy of an April 1941 fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
newsletter with a note from Gedeon. "As you probably know by this time," he wrote to his Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
brothers, "Old Ged has been drafted." On being assigned to the cavalry, Gedeon joked in the letter to his fraternity that "the only horse I ever saw in my life was the one the milkman used."
On October 22, 1941, Gedeon was accepted into pilot training despite his size and transferred to the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, earning his pilot's wings and a commission as a second lieutenant at Williams Field, Arizona
Williams Air Force Base
Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in Mesa, and about southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993...
in May 1942. He undertook twin-egined bomber training with the 21st Bomb Group
21st Operations Group
The 21st Operations Group is an operational component of the 21st Space Wing, stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.The mission of the 21st OG is to provide overall management and guidance to 21 geographically separated units assigned to the wing, which provide attack warning and space...
at MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. On August 9, 1942, Gedeon was flying as the navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
in a B-25 that crashed in the middle of a swamp on take off from the municipal airport at Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. Gedeon crawled from the burning bomber, and despite burns and three broken ribs, he went back into the wreckage, rescuing a crewmate, Corporal John R. Rarrat, who had suffered a broken back and two broken legs. Two crew members died in the crash, and Gedeon spent 12 weeks in the hospital recovering from his broken ribs and burns to his back, hands, face and legs, some requiring skin grafts. First Lt.
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
Gedeon was awarded the Soldier's Medal
Soldier's Medal
The Soldier's Medal is a military award of the United States Army. It was introduced as Section 11 of the Air Corps Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on July 2, 1926...
for heroism and bravery by Major General St. Clair Strett in what was described as “one of the most colorful ceremonies ever held at MacDill Field.
"I'll be back in baseball after the war," he had said on his last leave
Leave (military)
In military, leave is a permission to be away from one's unit, either for a specified or unspecified period of time.The term AWOL, standing for absent without leave, is a term for desertion used in armed forces of many English speaking countries....
before going overseas. Gedeon's cousin recalled: "The last time I saw him, he told me, 'I had my accident. It's going to be good flying from now on.' He said he had used up his bad luck." In February 1943, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
ran a feature story about Gedeon’s war service under the headline: “Gedeon Will Return to Baseball If War Doesn’t Last Too Long.” Gedeon was quoted in the article as saying “he hopes to pick up after the war where he left off.” He added that “it’s a matter of time.” “If the war ends before I’m past the playing age I’ll return to the game. If I’m too old, I’ll do something else.”
586th Flight Test Squadron
The 586th Flight Test Squadron is part of the 46th Test Wing based at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. -Overview:The 586th Flight Test Squadron plans, analyzes, coordinates and conducts flight tests of advanced weapons and avionics systems primarily on the White Sands Missile Range .It...
, 394th Bombardment Group
394th Bombardment Group
The 394th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XII Fighter Command stationed at AAF Station Kitzingen, Germany. It was inactivated on 15 February 1946...
United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, formed to train with Martin B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s. At Ardmore Army Air Field
Ardmore Air Force Base
Ardmore Air Force Base is an inactive United States Air Force base, approximately 11 miles northeast of Ardmore, Oklahoma. It was active during World War II as a heavy bomber training airfield and during the early years of the Cold War as a troop carrier base...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, he participated in group operational training in preparation for combat. In February 1944, the group was sent to RAF Boreham
RAF Boreham
With the facility released from military control, in 1946, the West Essex Car Club developed the 4.76 kilometre perimeter track for motor racing. Although not on the official Grand Prix calendar, Boreham Racing Circuit hosted competitive races between 1949 and 1952. Among the teams that raced at...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to become part of the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
. Gedeon was assigned as Squadron Operations Officer and began flying combat missions in Europe. His first mission was to attack an airfield at Beaumont-le-Roger
Beaumont-le-Roger
Beaumont-le-Roger is a commune in the department of Eure in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:The commune is located in the valley of the Risle on the edge of the forest with which it shares its name. It is crossed by the Paris-Cherbourg railway line...
, France, on March 23, 1944.
On April 20, 1944, Gedeon piloted one of 36 B-26's that left Boreham in the late afternoon to attack a V-1 "buzz bomb" site being constructed at Esquerdes
Esquerdes
Esquerdes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated 4 miles southwest of Saint-Omer, on the D211 road. The A26 autoroute passes very close by.-Etymology:...
, a village in the Pas-de-Calais near Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
. Led by Capt. Darrell Lindsey, it was the group's thirteenth mission. Attacking after dusk from 12,000 feet, the group encountered intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire, and Gedeon's plane was hit by flak below the cockpit just after bombing. Gedeon's co-pilot, his clothes on fire, was able to parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
from the bomber as it plunged towards the ground, but Gedeon and five other crew members were killed. Gedeon was initially reported as missing in action and it was not until May 1945 that his family received word that his grave had been located in a small British army cemetery at Saint-Pol
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The population of the canton is 14,939.-History:The county of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, usually referred to as just Saint-Pol, was originally a stronghold of the Counts of Flanders and was established as a county...
, France. Gedeon's body was later returned to the United States, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Gedeon and Harry O'Neill
Harry O'Neill (catcher)
Harry Mink O'Neill is a former professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues in . He would play for the Philadelphia Athletics. O'Neill was one of two Major League Baseball players to die during World War II...
of the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, killed at Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
, were the only Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players killed in World War II. The two have become symbols of "baseball's sacrifice" in the war effort. As the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
proclaims: "Ballplayers, like every other American citizen, understand the importance of giving one's self for their country." After the war, a scholarship in Gedeon’s name was established at the University of Michigan. Gedeon was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
for track and baseball in 1983. He was the sixth Michigan athlete inducted for his contributions in multiple sports.