Located outside on the North Plaza (Broad Street)

The Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives passed a joint resolution to honor Don S. Gentile upon his death January, 1951. Major Dominic "Don" Salvatore Gentile, an Ohioan from Piqua, was a World War II U.S. Army Air Force pilot and was the first to break the World War I record of 26 downed aircraft held by another Ohio native, Eddie Rickenbacker. Gentile died in an air crash while training in Maryland; he was 30 years old.

Gentile Memorial
DON S. GENTILE
MAJOR U. S. A. F.
1920 - 1951
MAJOR DON SALVADOR GENTILE BLAZED
A TRAIL THROUGH WAR RAVAGED SKIES TO
BRING EVERLASTING GLORY TO AMERICA'S
AIR POWER IN WORKD WAR II
HE FLEW 188 COMBAT MISSIONS OVER
EUROPE - DESTROYED 32 ENEMY AIRCRAFT
PROBABLY DESTROYED 9 MORE - DAMAGED 6
MAJOR GENTILE WAS BORN IN PIQUA. OHIO
HIS BODY LIES IN HONORED REST IN ST. JOSEPH'S
CEMETERY, SOUTH OF COLUMBUS
HE WILL LIVE FOREVER IN THE MEMORY
OF HIS NATIVE STATE AND THE NATON
DECORATIONS AWARDED
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS- WITH ONE BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER - SILVER STAR¿DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS-WITH ONE SILVER AND TWO BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS - AIR MEDAL-WITH THRE BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS - PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION-WITH TWO BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS - EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL-WITH ONE SILVER AND ONE BRONZE SERVICE STAR -
AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL
WORLD WAR II VICTORY MEDAL
SENIOR PILOT BADGE-UNITED STATES
CROCE AL MERITO DI GUERRA (ITALY)
MEDAGLIA D'AGENTO AL VALOR MILITARE (ITALY)
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS (BRITISH)
BRITISH STAR
GENERAL SERVICE DECORATION (BRITISH)
CROIX DE GUERRE WITH PALM (BELGIUM)
FRENCH FOURRAGERE
VOLUNTEER RIBBON WITH MAPLE LEAF (CANADA)
ROYAL AIR FORCE PILOT WINGS
CREST PRESENTED BY THE KING QUEEN OF ENGLAND