John L . Jerstad John Louis " Jack " Jerstad ( February 12 , 1918 – August 1 , 1943 ) was a United States Army Air Forces officer who was posthumously awarded the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor . He received the medal for his actions as a B - 24 pilot during a raid on Ploieşti , Romania , in World War II . Early life . Born and raised in Racine , Wisconsin , Jerstad was the oldest of two children of Art and Alice Jerstad . His sister Mary was four years his junior . Jerstad attended Washington Park High School and , after graduating in 1936 , went on to Northwestern University , earning a degree there in 1940 . He participated in Boy Scouts and Sea Scout s , and while in college he returned to Racine during the summers to run a children ' s day camp . He taught school for a year in La Due , Missouri , before enlisting in the United States Army Air Forces in July 1941 . Military service . Jerstad enlisted as an aviation cadet at Milwaukee , Wisconsin , on July 12 , 1941 . He trained at Ontario , California , and Luke Field , Arizona . He was commissioned on February 6 , 1942 and served with the 98th and 93rd Bomb Group s at Barksdale Field , Louisiana . In October 1942 , he went to Europe with the 93rd and flew B - 24s with the 328th Bomb Squadron , as a captain . He was promoted to major in April 1943 , and was assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing headquarters a month later . He was picked by Colonel Edward L . Timberlake , former commander of the " Traveling Circus " to be Timberlake ' s chief operations officer . By August 1943 , he had completed more than his tour of missions and was no longer directly connected with the 93rd Bomb Group . He had conducted many of the missions in an aircraft nicknamed " Jerk ’ s Natural " ; " Jerk " was a reference to his own name , Jack Jerstad , and " Natural " referred to the fact the plane ' s serial numbers added to 7 and 11 , a " natural " in dice game s . When Jerstad heard of the upcoming low - level bombing mission against the oil refineries at Ploieşti , Romania , he volunteered to lead a formation . The mission was Operation Tidal Wave , in which 179 B - 24s took off on an 18 - hour , 2 , 400 mile round - trip mission to destroy the largest of the Nazi - held oil refineries at Ploieşti , 30 miles north of Bucharest , Romania . This day , August 1 , 1943 , ended with five U . S . Air Force airmen , including Maj . John L . Jerstad , earning the Medal of Honor ; three , including Jerstad , posthumously . Sixty aircraft were lost on the mission . Three miles from the target , Jerstad ' s bomber , nicknamed " Hell ' s Wench " , was badly damaged and set aflame by enemy ground fire . More than 230 anti - aircraft gun s , supported by many barrage balloon s and smoke pot s , surrounded the refineries , with more than 400 fighters in the area . Ignoring the fact he was flying above a field suitable for a forced landing , he kept on course . After the bombs were released on the target , the fire in his aircraft became so intense that it made further progress impossible , and the B - 24 crashed into the target area . Jerstad was listed as missing in action . For these actions , he was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 28 , 1943 . His family accepted the medal on his behalf during a presentation ceremony at Holy Communion Church in Racine . Jerstad ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads as follows : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty . On 1 August 1943 , he served as pilot of the lead aircraft in his group in a daring low - level attack against enemy oil refineries and installations at Ploesti , Rumania . Although he had completed more than his share of missions and was no longer connected with this group , so high was his conception of duty that he volunteered to lead the formation in the correct belief that his participation would contribute materially to success in this attack . Maj . Jerstad led the formation into attack with full realization of the extreme hazards involved and despite withering fire from heavy and light antiaircraft guns . Three miles from the target his airplane was hit , badly damaged , and set on fire . Ignoring the fact that he was flying over a field suitable for a forced landing , he kept on the course . After the bombs of his aircraft were released on the target , the fire in his ship became so intense as to make further progress impossible and he crashed into the target area . By his voluntary acceptance of a mission he knew was extremely hazardous , and his assumption of an intrepid course of action at the risk of life over and above the call of duty , Maj . Jerstad set an example of heroism which will be an inspiration to the U . S . Armed Forces . Legacy . Seven years after his aircraft was shot down , the military notified Jerstad ' s family that his remains had been located . He was buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery near Neupré , Belgium . Jerstad - Agerholm Elementary / Middle School in Racine is named in honor of Jerstad and fellow Medal of Honor recipient and Racine native Harold C . Agerholm . The Legacy Museum , run by the Racine Veterans Center , includes an exhibit of photographs and artifacts relating to the two men .