DEVOTION & DUTY   
GERALD EDWIN FENNER 
Litter Platoon, Company B 110th Medical Battalion 

       On January 4th 1945 the 137th Infantry Regiment, a part of the 35th Infantry Division, was engaged in fighting in and about the village of Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, Belgium. The American and German armies had been engaged in combat here and at the neighboring village of Lutrebois since the 29th of December, as the Battle of the Bulge reached it climax.   

      Despite instructions not to go forward in the face of heavy fire to retrieve casualties, on January 4th 1945 a four man litter team from Company B of the 110th Medical Battalion led by Technician 5th Class James Gollinger of Massena NY went forth to aid wounded soldiers. The team was hit by a mortar round, killing Gollinger, Privates Gerald Fenner of Carthage MO and Louis Beauchaine of Warwick RI, and seriously wounding the fourth, Private First Class Ferdinand Bronzell of Chicago IL. All members of the litter team were awarded the Silver Star.     

        PRIVATE FIRST CLASS GERALD EDWIN FENNER  was born October 5, 1921 in Jasper MO. He lived in nearby Carthage MO. The father of two children, he went overseas as a member of the 110th Medical Battalion in May of 1941. As a member of the liter platoon, he served with honor and distinction until his death on January 4, 1945 near Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, Belgium.