John Eddy Bierlich
(1921 - 1994)
Profile
M/Sgt John E. Bierlich was one of the more than 30,000 Danish-Americans who were mobilized during the Second World War. He served in the Eighth Air Force in Europe.
John Eddy Bierlich was born on 22 October 1921 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of Ejnar Johannes Bierlich and Marie Christine Bierlich (née Petersen).[1]
The Bierlich family emigrated to the United States in 1923, arriving in New York on 26 February. Their destination was Massachusetts.[2] Bierlich’s father had visited the United States in 1921, and had declared his intention to become a citizen during this visit.[3]
Bierlich graduated from Parks Air College in 1940.[4] This college was founded in 1927 as first federally certified school of aviation. More than 37,000 aviators and aircraft mechanics received their training at Parks Air College during the Second World War.[5]
Bierlich enlisted in the U.S. Army on 29 July 1942.[6] Her served in the Eighth Air Force in Europe as a Master Sergeant.[7]
Endnotes
[1] DNA: Parish register, Rigshopitalet. Bierlich was baptised John Eddie Bierlich.
[2] Ancestry: New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957.
[3] Ancestry: Massachusetts, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950.
[4] Obituary for J. Bierlich in The Boston Globe, 29 December 1994, p. 28.
[5] Wikipedia: Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parks_College_of_Engineering,_Aviation_and_Technology (accessed on 1 February 2020).
[6] Ancestry: U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.
[7] Obituary for J. Bierlich in The Boston Globe, 29 December 1994, p. 28.