Gerald Dean Boles was born on February 5, 1923, in Charleston, Franklin County, Arkansas. He was the son of Newell Boles and Arkie J. (Scherer) Boles. He was married to Hattie Lenore Wilson George. He was employed at Vega Aircraft before enlisting in the service. He served in the 786th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner of B-24H #42-95157 during World War II.

On August 15, 1944, B-24H Liberator #42-95157 departed RAF Attlebridge in Norfolk, England, carrying a ten-man crew under the command of 1st Lt. Verdun Winston Munroe. Their mission was to bomb the Luftwaffe airfield at Vechta in northwestern Germany. After attacking the target, the crew began the return flight across the northern Netherlands and the North Sea toward England. While crossing the Netherlands, their formation was attacked by approximately twenty German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters from III./JG 53 and II./JG 5. Munroe’s Liberator was repeatedly struck by enemy fire and sustained severe damage. No longer able to remain airborne, the crippled bomber crashed near the rural village of Nijetrijne in Friesland at approximately 1:30 p.m. Six of the ten crewmen were killed. Three survived and were captured as prisoners of war, while the fourth survivor successfully evaded German capture.

SSgt Boles was killed in action and is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, www.verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl, americanarchive.iwm.org.uk, weremember.abmc.gov