THE WALL OF FACES

Always a good guy, quiet, smiling, kind. Special even then. God bless you, Gerry. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever….

53 years is a long time for your family and friends to miss you. You are still in all our hearts. It's so sad to ready the incident report and find out how many boys died, with you, on that night. You are always in my prayers.

Dear Sp4 Gerald Jerde, Thank you for your service as a General Vehicle Repairman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It's the end of summer. The time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

Landing Zone Oasis (also known as LZ Oasis) was a U.S. Army base southwest of Pleiku in Pleiku Province, RVN. The base was first established in 1965 by the 1st Cavalry Division for the Battle of Ia Drang, just south of Highway QL-19. At approximately 2:00 AM on May 11, 1969, Oasis began to receive a mix of 60mm and 82mm mortar, B-40 rocket, and 122mm and 140mm rocket fire as the base was besieged by an estimated North Vietnamese Army battalion working with a sapper company. Ground probes were made on three sides of the perimeter as the bunker lines returned fire, lacing red tracers into the night. On the western side of the perimeter, sapper squads were cut down as they ran across the airstrip. Near Bunker 22, the enemy successfully penetrated but was driven back in bitter, close quarters fighting. Throughout the night Oasis received help from nearby artillery batteries and Air Force gunships. Contact ceased around 5:00 AM, and first light revealed forty-five dead NVA on the perimeter. Eleven Americans died and twenty-five were wounded defending Oasis. They lost troopers included SP5 Edward A. Barlow, SFC Mills Beale III, SP4 Malcom F. Bell, SSG Thomas E. Bumgarner, SP4 Gerald D. Jerde, SGT George H. Jules, PFC Terry A. McCarthy, PFC John R. McLaughlin, PFC Michael A. Schroeder, SP5 William S. Slaughter, and SP5 Larry L. Weeden. Three others were captured by the enemy and were repatriated March 27, 1973. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Oasis Defenders Kill 45 NVA.” Ivy Leaf (4th Infantry “Ivy” Division newspaper), June 1, 1969]