Joanathon “Jon” Gerlach, 20 years, a 2008 graduate of Fillmore High School is stationed in Germany and was recently promoted to Private First Class (PFC) in the United States Army. Jon's entire education was within the Fillmore Unified School District where he also attended San Cayetano Elementary School and Fillmore Middle School.

Jon enlisted in the United States Army in June 2008 right after graduation from FHS. When Jon enlisted in the Army he knew he wanted to make the Army a career and he enlisted for 4 years. PFC Joanathan Gerlach is married to wife, Carmen (Barocio), and they have a daughter Addison 8 months. His mother is Barbara Gerlach of Piru and his siblings are brother Niles Gerlach 31, of Piru and sister, Andrea Rodriguez 28, of Fillmore. Maternal Grandparents are Jack Sivils of Lake Isabella, California and the late Bonnie Sivils. Grandfather Sivils worked most of his life on the Vanonni Ranch in Saticoy. Jon’s Paternal Grandparents are the late Rudolph and Doris Gerlach of Ventura.

United States Army PFC Joanathan Gerlach attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South. Carolina. While he was in Basic Training he was assigned to Charlie Company 2-13 Infantry 3rd Platoon, Sky Reapers. At graduation he received a Marksmanship medal for his proficiency with a firearm. After Basic Training he then received twenty-five weeks of advanced specialty training in Computer Detection Systems at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Now stationed in Germany he is expected to be deployed before the end of the year to one of the conflict areas. PFC Gerlach is the first in his immediate family to enlist in the Army; however, his Grandfather Rudolph Gerlach was with the Merchant Marines during WWII and Uncle Rudy Gerlach was with United States Army’s 173rd Airborne and is a Vietnam Veteran.

PFC Joanathan Gerlach is assigned as a special electronic devices repairer to the United States Army's Charlie Company, 412 Aviation Support Battalion (ASB) located in Ansbach, Germany. A special electronic devices repairer performs or supervises direct and general support level maintenance and repair on special electronic devices, including: night vision equipment, mine detectors, scattering systems, electronic distance and azimuth orienting devices, battlefield illumination devices, electronic azimuth determining devices, and nuclear, biological, and chemical warning and measuring devices. The 412th ASB “Professionals” provide direct aviation and ground maintenance, logistical and communication support for designated or assigned higher headquarters. The battalion must establish and sustain the logistics and the maintenance foundation for the brigade to fight and win on the battlefield through the planning and the execution of logistics and maintenance operations. As the European Command’s only Aviation Support Battalion, it supports the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade with Force Sustainment support functions to include; inter and intra-theater movement planning, tracking, and execution, aircraft phase maintenance, aircraft component repair, supply and distribution support, node network communications, logistical planning support, medical operations and logistics.

On September 9th, 2009, Mother Barbara Gerlach, PFC Gerlach’s wife Carmen, daughter Addison 8 months and niece Ellie Rodriquez 9 mos. old attended the installation of PFC Gerlach’s “Military Banner” in the 100 block of Central Avenue. The next time you are traveling north on Central Avenue from Ventura Street look to your right and as you see PFC Gerlach's Banner please take a moment to thank him for his service.

All of us in the communities of Fillmore and Piru wish United States Army Private First Class Joanathan “Jon” Gerlach safe travel, a successful career in the United States Army and we thank him and his family for their sacrifices to keep the United States of America strong. United States Army Private First Class Joanathan Gerlach is truly an American Hero.