A dedication ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on June 18 for a sign honoring the late Dexter J. Kerstetter, a World War II veteran and a Medal of Honor recipient.
According to the announcement released by the Centralia Public Works Department, Kerstetter was awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House by President Harry Truman on Oct. 12, 1945.
“Kerstetter was born in Centralia on December 21, 1907. He joined the Army in March of 1942. By April of 1945 he was serving as a Private First Class in Company C, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Division. During a fight to take a ridge near Galiano, Luzon, Philippines, he advanced alone ahead of his squad and engaged the Japanese soldiers until he ran out of ammunition. For these actions he was awarded the Medal of Honor,” the statement said.
In total, Kerstetter killed 16 Japanese soldiers that day as he fired his rifle and threw grenades at the scattering opposition, according to the Medal of Honor Society.
Kerstetter left the Army on Nov. 1, 1945, and returned to Washington state. He began working at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1954. He tragically drowned on July 9, 1972. His body was never recovered. A memorial gravesite was dedicated in his honor at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent.
To the public’s knowledge, Kerstetter is the only U.S. veteran born in Centralia to have received the Medal of Honor.
According to the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the accolade is the “United States’ highest award for military valor in action” for any U.S. service member who “distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty; (or) while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; (or) while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.”
The award had been given to only 3,527 service members in its 160 years of existence as of last year. Following a rigorous application and verification process, the Medal of Honor is often awarded to the soldier by the president at a public ceremony.
The sign dedication will take place at Fiddlers Coffee, located at 1220 Mellen St., Centralia. According to the announcement, anyone wishing to attend should park in the lot behind the business.
For additional information, contact Centralia Public Works Director Kim Ashmore at 360-330-7512.
