Sidney Gelber – Master Sergeant, United States Army

Submitted By His Stepson, Ralph Allen Zimmerman

Sidney Gelber, 76, a retired United States Army Master Sergeant, who worked for the United States Postal Service for 17 years after spending 20 years in the Army died of natural causes at his home in Orlando, Florida on Sunday January 14, 2001. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on January 24, 2001 where he will wait for his loving wife to join him.

Sergeant Gelber was born of Austrian parents on April 9, 1924 in Bronx, New York. He graduated from Morris High School in New York City in February of 1941. In January of 1943 he entered the United States Army Air Corp and participated in Air Offensives in Japan, China, Central Burma, India, Burma and Palembang and was discharged from this enlistment in December of 1945 having been awarded the American Campaign Medal, KAME Service Medal, a Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Medal.

From November 1946 until June 1950, Sergeant Gelber attended the City College of New York and achieved his B.A.degree and then in August of 1950 he re-enlisted in the United States Army. Over the next 18 years in the Army he rose to the rank of Master Sergeant (E-8) and served his country in the Korean war and the Vietnam War in addition to the other tours he enjoyed. To name just a few, he attached to the Manlius Military Academy in Manlius New York where he met his wife to be and also saw peacetime duty at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Fort Ord, California, and a tour in Germany in the middle 1960’s. He retired from the Army in May 1968 after having received four more Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal.

After retiring from the Army, MSG. Gelber resided in Orlando Florida and went to work for the US Postal Service from which he retired in September 1985.

Sergeant Gelber married Grace Evelyn Kimball Zimmerman on May 23, 1957 in Auburn New York, and he devoted his life to her. Mrs. Gelber was stricken with Alzheimer’s disease in the early 1990’s and was placed in a nursing home in March of 1996. He visited her twice daily right up until the day he passed away and saw to her every need and want for their entire marriage.

Sergeant Gelber is survived by his wife, Grace, his stepson, Ralph Allen Zimmerman, both of whom reside in Orlando Florida, and two brothers, Norman  of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania and Louis of Bronx, New York.

NOTE:  Sergeant Gelber’s wife, Grace, died on 1 March 2001 and was laid to rest with him.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard