By Kim McDarison
Army Staff Sgt. Gerald L. Endl, a Fort Atkinson native who was killed in action in 1944 while participating in “Operation Cartwheel” during World War II, is featured in a story by Katie Lange, a writer for an online U.S. Department of Defense publication.
Lange’s piece was published on July 11, marking 78 years to the day, when Endl, then 28, took part in a mission “aimed to neutralize a major Japanese base at Rabaul,” Lange wrote.
The story written by Lange was published as part of a U.S. Defense Department series called “Medal of Honor Monday,” which, the online publication noted, is a tribute “highlighting recipients of the nation’s highest medal for valor.”
Lange’s story begins by introducing Endl, who was born in Fort Atkinson in 1915 and graduated from Fort Atkinson High School in 1933. Endl married in 1941 and was drafted into the Army three months later, where, after training, he became a member of the 128th Infantry Regiment 32nd Division, according to the story.
He was wounded in the winter of 1942, the story continues, sustaining injuries during battle to his shoulder and knee, and was treated in an Australian hospital before returning to active duty in the spring of 1943.
He received a Purple Heart and was promoted twice, first to the rank of sergeant, and then to that of staff sergeant.
On July 11, 1944, Endl and his platoon had “been on the move and hadn’t eaten or rested in more than 30 hours,” Lange reported, attributing the information to a War Department release.
Lange next gives details of the platoon’s encounter “on a jungle trail near Anamo, New Guinea,” with enemy troops.
Under heavy fire and with wounded, Endl is credited with working to save the men of two platoons before losing his life to enemy fire.
The captivating story is shared by Lange with many details and photographs.
On March 27, 1945, Lange reported, Endl was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Endl is buried in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Fort Atkinson.
The full story, as written by Lange, and published by the U.S. Department of Defense, is here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3084416/medal-of-honor-monday-army-staff-sgt-gerald-leon-endl/.
Information about Endl, including photographs of his gravesite, is here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7525553/gerald-leon-endl.
Gerald Endl
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