World War II Honoree

William Gerald Ziegler

Branch of Service

U.S. Merchant Marine

Hometown

Cincinnati, Ohio

Honored By

Maria Ziegler Tschuor

Relationship

Granddaughter

He joined the U.S. Merchant Marines, at the age of 16, on 26 May 1944. He went through training at Sheepshead Bay. He worked aboard a liberty ship and a Welsh tugboat off the coast of Normandy, shuttling wounded GIs to an Army Hospital ship in the English Channel. After his Merchant Marine service ended in October of 1945, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps on 20 Feb 1946. He went through Basic Training at Parris Island and was stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina. He was honorably discharged on 15 November 1947. He was awarded the Atlantic Combat Zone Bar and WWII Victory Medal for his services in the Merchant Marines and a WWII Victory Medal for his service in the Marine Corps.