This short quote from the 1951 yearbook of Our Lady Queen of Peace High School captions the picture of GERARD MICHAEL WYNN, and describes, in a nutshell, 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. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey the only child of Michael and Helen Wynn and raised in nearby North Arlington, he started school at Woodrow Wilson Grammar School, North Arlington transferring to Queen of Peace Grammar School in the 7th Grade. When he arrived at his new school he was shy and very quiet but it did not take him long to make his presence known. He quickly made friends. Deciding he could cope with the strict Sisters of Saint Joseph, Jerry entered Queen of Peace High School with his great spirit and drive to learn. Giving 110% in anything he was involved in. Through his high school years his classmates enjoyed his jovial laugh and smile. He really came out of his quiet self in his junior year wanting to obtain all the knowledge he could, his studies and class ranking showed his great desire to learn. He always kept the nuns in high regard, but he also challenged them with his antics. Not the class clown but you always knew when Jerry was around, never knowing what he would do next. But it was always done with that childlike smile and laugh. Jerry was the class spokesman on their Senior Trip to Washington, D.C. If they remember nothing else, Jerry's speech will be remembered as one of the high lights of the Senior Trip. Jerry became the standout athlete of his school and a legend in his own time. The 45-12 defeat in football of arch-rival Saint Mary's which he led. It went down in the record books and he was honored as the most valuable player of the year. Such athletic prowess did not go unnoticed, he was picked up by Vince Lombardi of the West Point coaching staff for future service as a running back on the Army team. A quick year at Blair Academy Prep School to hone his academic skills and then the short trip up the Hudson River to join the Long Grey Line.

Once past the rigors of Beast Barracks and settled in at Hotel Two in the lost Fifties, Jerry approached Plebe Year with the studied indifference possible only to those talented few who ate their meals at the Corps Squad tables. Of course, he had to pay the piper and he did four years of tough, grinding football under Red Blaik helping to build winning teams with a payoff victory against Navy in our First Class Year. But it wasn't all hard works -- he 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 that he could hold his own with the Academic Department, Jerry blossomed out into a variety of other activities: Catholic Acolyte, Debate Council and Forum, Howitzer 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.

Upon graduation, Jerry saw the light and joined the Infantry, Queen of Battle. After a short stint at Fort Benning, where he attended the Basic Course and earned the Parachute Badge and the Rangeer Tab, it was off to Germany for duty as a mechanized platoon leader in the 2nd and 4th Armored Divisions. Following two quick years, it was back to the States and assignment as a "Green Beret" in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC. One of the very first to see duty in Vietnam, Jerry spent 7 months in country training the Vietnamese Rangers. Back at Bragg, he met his match, Lieutenant Rena Margaret Jones, Army Nurse Corps and skydiver extraodinaire. 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 on June 17, 1961 they were wed. H-2 file Walt Knudsen stood in as 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. Daughter Elizabeth was the first child to add to their wedded bliss. Three years later James arrived to complete their perfect family. Jerry was a proud, loving father who enjoyed every minute with his wife and children.

Finishing up with the Special Forces in 1962, Jerry returned to Fort Benning to attend the Career Course. It was then on to a one year unaccompanied tour in Korea as the commander of a mechanized rifle company in the 17th Infantry, 7th Infantry Division, where he was awarded the Commendation Medal for outstanding performance. At this point, the Army decided it was time for Jerry to pass on his knowledge and experience to the next generation of Army officers to be and so he took up his post as Assistant Professor of Military Science at Gordon Military College, Barnesville, Georgia. It was a pleasant three years and the academic pace permitted time for professional development and time with his cherished family. However, the winds of war were blowing unabated in Vietnam and the need for experienced Infantry officers was unrelenting.

In September 1967, Jerry, now a Major, was back in Vietnam. After a short break-in period as Brigade S-1, he reported in to the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division and took over as the Battalion Operations Officer (S3). The unit was engaged in a series of search and destroy missions near Highway 1 around Chu Lai. On November 4, the battalion was placed under the operational control of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division and moved northward to LZ Baldy near Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, 1st Corps Tactical Zone. Contact with elements of the 2nd NVA Division was constant and sharp. On November 14, the battalion command group (CO, S-3, and LNO's) made an early morning liftoff in the C & C helicopter to check in with A Company, located about 15 kilometers SW of Baldy. After heavy contact the day before, things were pretty quiet on the ground but when the command chopper showed up a 12.7mm machine gun took it under intense fire and brought it down. A Company troopers rushed to the scene but there were no survivors.

For his heroic service with the 1/35th Infantry, Jerry was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. His body was escorted home and interred in Westbrook, Maine. His memory lives on in the hearts of all that knew him. An outstanding soldier, whose ready smile and quick wit won friends wherever he went.

AWARD OF THE SILVER STAR
1. TC 320. The following AWARD is announced posthumously:
WYNN, GERARD M. 073940 (SSAN NVAL) MAJOR INFANTRY United States Army HHC, 1st Bn, 35th Inf, 4th Inf Div, APO 96355
Awarded:	Silver Star
Date Action:	13 and 14 November 1967
Theater:	Republic of Vietnam
Reason	For gallantry in action while engaged in military operations against an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. On 13 and 14 November 1967 Major Wynn distinguished himself while serving as Operations Staff Officer of the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, operating near Xuan Que. Companies A and B were heavily engaged with a large force of determined North Vietnamese Regulars. Major Wynn and the Battalion Command flew to the area in the Command and Control helicopter. To better direct the companies' efforts, they elected to fly extremely low to overcome the poor visibility in spite of increasing the danger of being hit by enemy fire. While deploying the companies to maintain contact with the North Vietnamese, they flew directly over the enemy forces and were hit. The helicopter was downed but Major Wynn was airborne within an hours and again aiding the ground forces. The next morning, Major Wynn and the Battalion Commander continued their mission and again elected to direct operations from an extremely low altitude. Once more their helicopter received heavy automatic weapons fire. The helicopter went out of control and crashed. Major Wynn was mortally wounded in the crash. His personal courage and devotion to his men and to his duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Authority:	By direction of the President, under the previsions of the Act of Congress, approved 9 July 1918.

 

Jerry is survived by his wife Rena, his daughter Elizabeth, and son James   Dedicated To His Family and Friends This Memorial has been a mission for me. Having tried for many years and getting no where. But with the computer age I have finally been able to do it with the help found on the Internet. I will not allow him to be forgotten, we were friends from grammar school through high school. I also want to thank a few of Jerry's classmates from the class of 1956 from West Point. First I would like to thank Dave Muntz who got the ball rolling for me by getting me in touch with Gene A. Fox. I must say I don't think I could have done this Memorial without Gene's help. I would really like to thank him also for him putting me in touch with Dick Arnold, who contributed the eye witness account of that tragic day. A very special thanks to my friend Ed Bitzer for his many hours of patience putting this web site together and being my computer mentor on this entire project. Thanks, guys- with your help we put a face to the name on the marble wall. I was determined to do this for my classmate and good friend of many years. He was always there for all his friends with that jovial laugh and devilish wit that at times would get him in trouble. We knew not to dare him because before you could finish he would be ready to go for it. He loved a challenge, giving the smallest of them 100% as you will see from the testimonies of his many friends below. He was loved by all he touched. Ed Jarvis, Class of 1951 Queen of Peace High School,North Arlington N.J.