#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Charles J. Gestrich

Charles Gestrich was born in 1929. He graduated from Central High School in 1947 and then worked as welder and machine operator at Pittsburgh Railways. At 21, the Army drafted him and sent him to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, for basic training. After graduating basic training, he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, for antipersonnel training.

After training, and due to his previous work experience, the Army shipped Gestrich to Yokohama, Japan, where he worked the railway postal system. There, he rode mail trains to Sasebo and Sapporo.

In 1953, the Army discharged Gestrich. He went back to his old job at Pittsburgh Railways. Gestrich also went to the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics for two years and earned his power plant mechanics license. He died in 2015.

We honor his service.

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Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

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Contributors

Editor: Vincent Tran

Fact checker: Jordan Gossett

Graphic artist: Kimber Garland