John Gerhard Linkowski was born on June 22, 1919 in Buffalo, New York. John had one brother. . John was educated at the Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Buffalo. After leaving school, he worked as an conditioning technician. According to government records, John eventually moved to Chester County.

John joined the Army in 1938 and served in Panama during World War II with an artillery unit and saw action in France and Germany. He was called to serve overseas again during the Korean War as a heavy weapons infantryman.

The American Battle Monuments site records:

Master Sergeant Linkowski was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy near Unsan, North Korea on November 2, 1950. He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953. For his leadership and valor, Master Sergeant Linkowski was awarded the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal.

John's remains were never found but he is honored on the Courts of the Missing, at the Honolulu Memorial. 

Credits

Research by Don Wambold, WCMSC