Gerry H. Kisters

By 1942 Kisters' unit, formerly attached to the 1st Cavalry, had become an independent unit, the 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. At the end of 1942 they were sent to Casablanca to join the North African Campaign. On May 7, 1943 Kisters, now a staff sergeant, surprised and killed the crew of a German 88 mm artillery gun, earning a Distinguished Service Cross.

By July 31, 1943 Kisters' unit was attached to the 2nd Armored Division. On that day, near Gagliano, Sicily, he and an officer captured an enemy machine gun position. Kisters then went forward alone and, although wounded in both legs and his right arm on his approach, single-handedly captured a second machine gun emplacement. He was subsequently promoted to second lieutenant and, on February 18, 1944, was awarded his Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor. He was the first American soldier to be awarded both during World War II. He was featured in war bond drives and the Monroe County Airport was named Kisters Field in his honor.

Kisters was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to a family that had worked in the fur trade for generations; his family moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 1937, where his father opened a fur shop. Kisters worked for his father and then opened his own fur shop in Vincennes, Indiana, operating it for several years before he was drafted in January 1941. He was assigned to a reconnaissance unit training at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Gerry Herman Kisters (March 2, 1919 – May 11, 1986) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.