Jerry Mattox joined the Army only two weeks out of high school.
His skills were tested and found to be a good fit for the Signal Corps, but shortly after his training the Army found another place for him in the heavy artillery units in the Philippines.
Jerry served as a forward observer, helping guide artillery shells onto their target from a distance.
Two months after his arrival the war was over, but he found himself fighting an enemy who was unaware of their surrender, and the battle raged on for another two weeks.
He was released from the Army, and after studying at Yale University he joined the Army Air Corps – which later became the United States Air Force – as an officer studying psychological warfare during the Korean War.
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