THE WALL OF FACES

We thank you for your service and sacrifice. You are remembered, not forgotten because we utter your name with respect to honor you.
Heart of Texas Veterans Memorial.

He was so good to us friends of his sister(Betty). He was 7 years older than us but he would volunteer to take us swimming. I know he is greatly missed.

We were friends only for a short time. Jerry, Janie, my wife and I were together when our astronauts landed on the moon. Little did we know how special those few days were. Jerry told us every day that he was going to Vietnam and would be killed. I tried to change his mindset but I could not. He was full of life and always had a smile on his face. I still see him in his youth and I keep a rubbing of his name on my wall in my office. I know God took him home and has given him that mansion that he has promised. We miss you Jerry.

A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam
And for a brief moment its glory
and beauty belong to our world
But then it flies again
And though we wish it could have stayed...
We feel lucky to have seen it.

PFC Jerry D. Giesecke was an infantryman serving with C Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, 199th Infantry Brigade. On the morning of December 18, 1969, PFC Giesecke was part of a platoon-sized a patrol conducting reconnaissance in an area eight miles southwest of An Loc Air field in Long Khanh Province, RVN. During the mission they located some unoccupied enemy bunkers on the south bank of the Song Nhan (river). The Americans set up inside the complex and soon observed six North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers. They were taken under fire with small arms and automatic weapons. The enemy combatants fled to the west without returning fire and an artillery mission was called on their suspected escape route. The first rounds fell long and the lieutenant calling in the mission gave a correction. The next rounds hit the top of the canopy, exploding prematurely and sending shrapnel down on the U.S. position. Giesecke was critically wounded after being hit by metal fragments. More rounds came in as the lieutenant furiously transmitted “Check fire!” A medic and another trooper tending to Giesecke covered him with their bodies to shield him from further injury. Eight other Americans were wounded in the incident. A dust off (medical evacuation by helicopter) was called and the casualties were taken to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital at Long Binh. A sweep of the area located two NVA bodies along with two AK-47 rifles. Giesecke was posthumously promoted to Corporal. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Alton Newberry (February 2020)]