Gerhard Burton Petersen was born 1 May 1917 at Perley, Norman County, MN to Nels Gerhard Petersen and his wife, Bertha Albertine Olson Petersen. His father Nels, was born 19 Sep 1888 at Perley, MN and passed away 2 Oct 1975 at Moorhead, MN. His mother, Bertha Albertine Olson was born 15 Oct 1889 in North Dakota and passed away 21 Oct 1982 in Portland, Oregon.
Burton was the second of six children born to Nelsie and Bertha Petersen. His siblings were: Allen Stanley 4 Oct 1915- 31 Oct 1926, Norma Katherine 3 Mar 1919- Living (James Archer, _______Brekke and Jerald E. Pack), Robert Samuel 9 Mar 1924- 5 Sep 1954 (Lila Jurgenson 1929-unknown), Bette Lee 2 Sep 1928- 16 Jan 1979 (Emmanuel Charles Lackmann 30 Dec 1925- 16 Jan 1979) and Gertrude (Walter Olson).
Burton attended school at Perley until 1928 when the family moved to Hillsboro, ND. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Hillsboro in May of 1932. The family moved to Leonard, ND in 1933 and Burton graduated from Leonard High School in 1935. He spent the next few years working for farmers in the Perley area.
He was inducted into the service April 30, 1942 and was assigned to the Armored Division at Ft. Lewis, WA. After his basic training there, he went to Ft. Knox, KY, where he attended Gunnery School from which he graduated in October 1942. He spent ten months in the Mohavi Desert Training Camp in AZ and went to England in November 1943 and into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
As a soldier he received a citation which was a commission on the battlefield, which is a rare honor for a soldier. He received his commission just a few days before his death as a reward for his unusual bravery and heroism displayed on the battlefield. He was wounded 7 Aug 1944 and passed away 11 Aug 1944. He was buried in the Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, Basse-Normandie, France.
A memorial service was held for Burton at the Bethania Lutheran Church, rural Perley, MN 17 Sep 1944. Pastor Thomas Anderson officiated at the service.
Burton was an honest, kind, hard-working young man. Before he went into the service he was engaged to Dorothy J. Mathiason. When he returned home after the war he was looking forward to becoming a husband and a farmer. Burton was one of several Perley young men lost in World War II.
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Memorial marker and he is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery in St James, France.
Burton was the second of six children born to Nelsie and Bertha Petersen. His siblings were: Allen Stanley 4 Oct 1915- 31 Oct 1926, Norma Katherine 3 Mar 1919- Living (James Archer, _______Brekke and Jerald E. Pack), Robert Samuel 9 Mar 1924- 5 Sep 1954 (Lila Jurgenson 1929-unknown), Bette Lee 2 Sep 1928- 16 Jan 1979 (Emmanuel Charles Lackmann 30 Dec 1925- 16 Jan 1979) and Gertrude (Walter Olson).
Burton attended school at Perley until 1928 when the family moved to Hillsboro, ND. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Hillsboro in May of 1932. The family moved to Leonard, ND in 1933 and Burton graduated from Leonard High School in 1935. He spent the next few years working for farmers in the Perley area.
He was inducted into the service April 30, 1942 and was assigned to the Armored Division at Ft. Lewis, WA. After his basic training there, he went to Ft. Knox, KY, where he attended Gunnery School from which he graduated in October 1942. He spent ten months in the Mohavi Desert Training Camp in AZ and went to England in November 1943 and into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
As a soldier he received a citation which was a commission on the battlefield, which is a rare honor for a soldier. He received his commission just a few days before his death as a reward for his unusual bravery and heroism displayed on the battlefield. He was wounded 7 Aug 1944 and passed away 11 Aug 1944. He was buried in the Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, Basse-Normandie, France.
A memorial service was held for Burton at the Bethania Lutheran Church, rural Perley, MN 17 Sep 1944. Pastor Thomas Anderson officiated at the service.
Burton was an honest, kind, hard-working young man. Before he went into the service he was engaged to Dorothy J. Mathiason. When he returned home after the war he was looking forward to becoming a husband and a farmer. Burton was one of several Perley young men lost in World War II.
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Memorial marker and he is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery in St James, France.
Gerhard Burton Petersen was born 1 May 1917 at Perley, Norman County, MN to Nels Gerhard Petersen and his wife, Bertha Albertine Olson Petersen. His father Nels, was born 19 Sep 1888 at Perley, MN and passed away 2 Oct 1975 at Moorhead, MN. His mother, Bertha Albertine Olson was born 15 Oct 1889 in North Dakota and passed away 21 Oct 1982 in Portland, Oregon.
Burton was the second of six children born to Nelsie and Bertha Petersen. His siblings were: Allen Stanley 4 Oct 1915- 31 Oct 1926, Norma Katherine 3 Mar 1919- Living (James Archer, _______Brekke and Jerald E. Pack), Robert Samuel 9 Mar 1924- 5 Sep 1954 (Lila Jurgenson 1929-unknown), Bette Lee 2 Sep 1928- 16 Jan 1979 (Emmanuel Charles Lackmann 30 Dec 1925- 16 Jan 1979) and Gertrude (Walter Olson).
Burton attended school at Perley until 1928 when the family moved to Hillsboro, ND. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Hillsboro in May of 1932. The family moved to Leonard, ND in 1933 and Burton graduated from Leonard High School in 1935. He spent the next few years working for farmers in the Perley area.
He was inducted into the service April 30, 1942 and was assigned to the Armored Division at Ft. Lewis, WA. After his basic training there, he went to Ft. Knox, KY, where he attended Gunnery School from which he graduated in October 1942. He spent ten months in the Mohavi Desert Training Camp in AZ and went to England in November 1943 and into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
As a soldier he received a citation which was a commission on the battlefield, which is a rare honor for a soldier. He received his commission just a few days before his death as a reward for his unusual bravery and heroism displayed on the battlefield. He was wounded 7 Aug 1944 and passed away 11 Aug 1944. He was buried in the Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, Basse-Normandie, France.
A memorial service was held for Burton at the Bethania Lutheran Church, rural Perley, MN 17 Sep 1944. Pastor Thomas Anderson officiated at the service.
Burton was an honest, kind, hard-working young man. Before he went into the service he was engaged to Dorothy J. Mathiason. When he returned home after the war he was looking forward to becoming a husband and a farmer. Burton was one of several Perley young men lost in World War II.
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Memorial marker and he is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery in St James, France.
Burton was the second of six children born to Nelsie and Bertha Petersen. His siblings were: Allen Stanley 4 Oct 1915- 31 Oct 1926, Norma Katherine 3 Mar 1919- Living (James Archer, _______Brekke and Jerald E. Pack), Robert Samuel 9 Mar 1924- 5 Sep 1954 (Lila Jurgenson 1929-unknown), Bette Lee 2 Sep 1928- 16 Jan 1979 (Emmanuel Charles Lackmann 30 Dec 1925- 16 Jan 1979) and Gertrude (Walter Olson).
Burton attended school at Perley until 1928 when the family moved to Hillsboro, ND. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Hillsboro in May of 1932. The family moved to Leonard, ND in 1933 and Burton graduated from Leonard High School in 1935. He spent the next few years working for farmers in the Perley area.
He was inducted into the service April 30, 1942 and was assigned to the Armored Division at Ft. Lewis, WA. After his basic training there, he went to Ft. Knox, KY, where he attended Gunnery School from which he graduated in October 1942. He spent ten months in the Mohavi Desert Training Camp in AZ and went to England in November 1943 and into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
As a soldier he received a citation which was a commission on the battlefield, which is a rare honor for a soldier. He received his commission just a few days before his death as a reward for his unusual bravery and heroism displayed on the battlefield. He was wounded 7 Aug 1944 and passed away 11 Aug 1944. He was buried in the Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, Basse-Normandie, France.
A memorial service was held for Burton at the Bethania Lutheran Church, rural Perley, MN 17 Sep 1944. Pastor Thomas Anderson officiated at the service.
Burton was an honest, kind, hard-working young man. Before he went into the service he was engaged to Dorothy J. Mathiason. When he returned home after the war he was looking forward to becoming a husband and a farmer. Burton was one of several Perley young men lost in World War II.
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Memorial marker and he is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery in St James, France.
Inscription
SSGT, 743 TANK BN WORLD WAR II
Family Members
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