<p>
"A little nonsense and then, is relished by the best of men."</p>
<p>
This short quote from the 1951 yearbook of Our Lady Queen of Peace High School captures the essence of <em>Gerard Michael Wynn </em>and the attitude that served him so well through the years—the ability to see the humor in most situations and to take the worst with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>
Born in Jersey City, NJ, to Michael and Helen Wynn and raised in nearby North Arlington, Jerry became the standout athlete of his school and a legend in his own time. The 45-12 defeat in football of archrival St. Mary's went down in the record books, and Jerry was honored as the Most Valuable Player of the year. Such athletic prowess did not go unnoticed, as he was chosen by Vince Lombardi of the West Point coaching staff for future service as a running back on the Army team. Jerry spent a quick year at Blair Academy Preparatory School to hone his academic skills before he made the short trip up the Hudson River to join the Long Gray Line.</p>
<p>
Once past the rigors of Beast Barracks and settled in at "Hotel Two" in the lost ’50s, Jerry approached Plebe year with the studied indifference of those talented few who ate their meals at the Corps Squad tables. He did have to pay the piper, and he did four years of tough, grinding football under Red Blaik, helping to build winning teams with the ultimate payoff victory against Navy during First Class year, but it wasn’t all hard work. Jerry took a busman’s holiday, of sorts, on the track team for two years and one year on the boxing team. As soon as he learned he could hold his own with the Academic Department, Jerry blossomed into a variety of other activities, including Catholic Acolyte, Debate Council and Forum, <em>Howitzer </em>Representative, Ski and Weight Lifting Clubs, and Spanish and Russian Clubs. In spite of this busy schedule, he still had time to help his roommate of three years, Mike Lion, earn academic stars.</p>
<p>
Upon graduation, Jerry saw the light and joined the Infantry—the "Queen of Battle." After a short stint at Ft. Benning, where he attended the Basic Course and earned the Parachute Badge and the Ranger Tab, it was off to Germany for duty as a mechanized platoon leader in the 2d and 4th Armored Divisions. Following two quick years, it was back to the States with an assignment as a "Green Beret" in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, NC. One of the very first to see duty in Viet Nam, Jerry spent seven months in-country training the Vietnamese Rangers.</p>
<p>
Back at Bragg, Jerry met his match—LT Rena Margaret Jones, Army Nurse Corps and skydiver extraordinaire.</p>
<p>
Seeing the need to move quickly, he intercepted a bouquet of roses from another ardent suitor and put his own card thereon. The ploy worked, and in June 1961, the two wed. Company H-2 mate, Walt Knudsen, was Jerry’s best man and was so taken by the event that he soon married Paula Blaisdell, a classmate of Rena’s from the Maine Medical Center, with Jerry as best man.</p>
<p>
Finishing up with the Special Forces in 1962, Jerry returned to Ft. Benning to attend the Career Course. A one-year unaccompanied tour in Korea as the commander of a mechanized rifle company in the 17th Infantry, 7th Infantry Division followed, where he was awarded the Commendation Medal for outstanding performance. At that point, the Army decided it was time for Jerry to pass on his knowledge and experience to the next generation of Army officers, and he became Assistant Professor of Military Science at Gordon Military College in Barnesville, GA. It was a pleasant three years, with the academic pace permitting time for professional development and time with his growing family that now included a daughter and a infant son. However, the winds of war were blowing unabated in Viet Nam, and the need for experienced Infantry officers was unrelenting.</p>
<p>
In September 1967, Jerry, then a major, was back in Viet Nam. After a short stint as Brigade S-1, he reported to the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division as Battalion Operations Officer (S-3). The unit was engaged in a series of search and destroy missions near Highway 1 around Chu Lai. On 4 November, the battalion was placed under the operational control of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and moved northward to LZ Baldy near Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, 1st Corps Tactical Zone. Contact with elements of the 2d NVA Division was constant and sharp. On 14 November, the battalion command group made an early morning liftoff in the command and control helicopter to check on A-Company, located about 15 kilometers southwest of Baldy. After heavy contact the day before, things were pretty quiet on the ground. When the command chopper arrived, however, a 12.7mm machine gun took it under intense fire, bringing it down. A-Company troopers rushed to the scene, but there were no survivors.</p>
<p>
For his heroic service with the l-35th Infantry, Jerry was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Jerry’s body was escorted home by MAJ Douglas Harris and interred in Westbrook, ME. Maine Governor Kenneth M. Curtis presented Jerry’s posthumous awards to his widow at the capitol of Maine on Flag Day, 14 Jun 1968. His memory lives on in the hearts of all who knew him. He was an outstanding soldier, whose ready smile and quick wit won him friends wherever he went.</p>
<p>
His wife Rena, his daughter Elizabeth, son James, and grandchildren Abigail and James, survive Jerry.</p>
<p>
<em>The family and Gene Fox</em></p>