Desjardins, Earl

1922 - 1944  (22 years)

• Name	Desjardins, Earl
  Birth	26 Jan 1922	Green Bay, Brown, Wisconsin, USA
  Gender	Male
  Military Service	Bef 12 Sep 1944
  WWII
  Obituary	Aft 12 Sep 1944
  Excerpt from an article about Earl and his brother James. Both James and Earl Des Jardins were in high school in Green Bay when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Like millions of Americans, they joined the military, each becoming a pilot - Earl in bombers, James in fighters. The older brother saw action first, writing to James in July 1944 to tell him not to hurry over to Europe but giving him advice on what to bring, such as a rubber air mattress and a small ax to pound tent stakes. Two months after Earl Des Jardins sent the letter with the opening words "Combat is rough and don't let anyone tell you different," his B-24 was shot down in France, killing everyone on board. He was 22. Then James was lost Nov. 25. Three days after Christmas the second Western Union telegram delivered to the Des Jardins' Green Bay home reported James as missing in action. Earl's bomber was found a couple of decades ago, and John Des Jardins and his father traveled to France for dedication of a memorial at the crash site. Earl's remains were buried in a mass grave with the rest of his 10-member B-24 crew in Kentucky. A memorial plaque was placed at the Green Bay cemetery. But James' whereabouts were a mystery until last year. By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel Oct 14, 2012 Read complete article at http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/a-welcome-home-for-green-bay-wwii-fighter-pilot-e677jkf-174120281.html
  Reference Number	7700
  Death	14 Sep 1944	, , , France
  	Died in WWII
  Burial	Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky
  Person ID	I327522	1FamilyTree
  Last Modified	2 Sep 2018

  
  

  Father	DesJardins, John,   b. 22 May 1895   d. 11 Aug 1969 (Age 74 years)
  Mother	Lefevre, Netttie,   b. 16 Jul 1896   d. 14 Jan 1976 (Age 79 years)
  Family ID	F207434	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart