Augustus Francis Gearhard (April 18, 1893 – March 19, 1974) was a brigadier general in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. He was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest at St. Michael's Parish and eventually St. Mary's Parish in Milwaukee. He was also the rector of the Fenwick Home for Boys. Gearhard was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, in 1893. He attended St. Francis Seminary and was ordained in 1917. Gearhard died on March 19, 1974.

Military career

Gearhard originally joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1918 and was deployed overseas to take part in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. While serving with the 328th Infantry Regiment of the

82nd Infantry Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

, Gearhard was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

, America's second-highest award for combat bravery. He received the medal for valor under fire during the

St. Mihiel Offensive The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States agains ...

in September 1918 and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive the following month. He repeatedly braved artillery and other fire by crossing into no man's land to aid dead and dying soldiers, carrying them to safety. It was reported that Gearhard was a witness to Sergeant

Alvin York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known by his rank as Sergeant York, was an American soldier who was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor fo ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

-earning action on October 8, 1918. Returning with his division to the US, after post-war occupation duty, in June 1919, Gearhard was honorably discharged from federal service. He returned to Milwaukee to his pre-war post at St. Michael's Parish. The following year, he moved to become curate at St. Mary's Parish, also in Milwaukee. Then in 1924 he became rector of the Fenwick Home for Boys, also in Milwaukee. He remained here through the inter-war years. In 1924, Gearhard rejoined the military. He was commissioned an

Army Reserve Army Reserve refers to a land-based military reserve force, including: *Army Reserve (Ireland) *Army Reserve (United Kingdom) *Australian Army Reserve *Canadian Army Reserve * New Zealand Army Reserve *United States Army Reserve *United States Navy ...

captain in the Chaplain Corps on November 26, 1924. He served in the Army Reserve for the next 17 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Called to active duty in January 1942 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served with the

V Fighter Command The V Fighter Command is a disbanded United States Air Force headquarters. It was established as the 2nd Interceptor Command in June 1941, with responsibility for air defense of the northwest United States and training fighter units in its are ...

, the

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organ ...

, and finally the Far East Air Force. His service with these formations was all in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

of the war. In May 1945, Gearhard was one of two chaplains that conducted what was described as “One of the most unusual funeral services of the war." Gearhard and a fellow Army chaplain conducted a funeral service from 11,000 ft in the air. Their plane circled the crash site of the

C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

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. They held services by radio relayed to the survivors as they circled the crash site. Following the war he was named chaplain of the

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

. Gearhard transferred to the Air Force upon its establishment in 1947. In 1949 he was named chaplain of the

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before becoming

Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force The Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force is the second senior-most Military chaplain, chaplain in the United States Air Force]Chaplain Corps holding the rank of brigadier general, and acting as principal deputy to the Chief of ...

in September 1950. He retired from the Air Force in 1953 and received a second award of the Legion of Merit upon his retirement.

Later life and death

After retiring from his combined 30 years of military service, Gearhard returned to Milwaukee. He was pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for 18 years. He fully retired in 1971 and died of unknown causes at age 80 in 1974.

Awards and decorations

Awards Gearhard received include the

, the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

, and the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

with one oak leaf cluster. He was also entitled to several awards for service;

Posthumous honors

In 2019, Gearhard was inducted into the 82nd Airborne Division Hall of Fame. As part of the second group of inductees, Gearhard was the first chaplain so honored.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gearhard Military personnel from Milwaukee Religious leaders from Milwaukee United States Air Force generals United States Air Force chaplains Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II World War I chaplains World War II chaplains St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee 1893 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests Catholic military chaplains 20th-century Roman Catholic priests