Ralph Bernard Gerken

Ralph Bernard Gerken of Winthrop was a graduate of Starmont High School in the class of 1965. He enlisted in the Army and left for Vietnam in December of the following year. SP4 Gerken suffered fragmentation wounds from enemy grenades on July 4, 1967 in Binh Duong Province. He was taken to the 24th Evacuation Hospital where he died the next day. A rosary was held for the 19-year-old and his body was buried at Saint Albert’s Cemetery located in Dundee.