PFC Howard J. Gfell 35544618 KIA

Private First Class Howard Joseph Gfell 35544618, US Army KIA. He was born on January 10, 1924, in Monroeville, Indiana. He was the son of Edward John Gfell and Hilda Rosswurm Gfell. He was married to Virginia Dorothy Trumpey. He entered the US Army on January 28, 1943 at the age of 19. At the time of his enlistment he was 5 foot 9 inches tall weighed 170 pounds had Black hair and Blue eyes. He served in the Army Air Corps before he was transferred to the Infantry. He trained at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, he served in K Company, 253^rd Infantry Regiment, 63^rd Infantry Division. He transferred to L Company, 253^rd Infantry Regiment, 63^rd Infantry Division on April 21, 1944. He entered G Company, 253^rd Infantry Regiment, 63^rd Infantry Division on May 17, 1944. He served in G Company, for the remainder of his life. He served in combat in the European African Middle Eastern Theater; during this time he fought in the campaigns of the RHINELAND, and the CENTRAL EUROPE.

On April 4, 1945 G Company, crossed the Jagst Rivers and took part in the battles between the Jagst Rivers, and Kocher Rivers; this included fighting for the towns of  towns of; Untergriesheim, Buchhof, Lobenbacherhof, and Stein am Kocher. On April 8, 1945, in the vicinity of Stein, Germany. Private First Class Gfell, was serving as a radio operator, he was advancing with the Headquarters Platoon when the remainder of G Company was pinned down by heavy enemy fire. PFC Howard J. Gfell rushed forward to establish flank protection for the company, he killed at least ten of the enemy. He then withdrew to gather reinforcements and led the reinforcements in an attack on superior enemy forces. When the fighting ceased, he was found dead. In 1949 his body was returned to Fort Wayne Indiana. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal (SSM), Bronze Star Medals  (BSM), the Purple Heart Medal (PHM), The Combat Infantry Badge,  the American Theater of Operations Medal, European African Middle Eastern Theater of operations Medal, and the  World War Two Victory Medal.