US PARAS 2 Walker, Jerry Lee

[John Robertson]

• SURNAME

Walker​

• FORENAME

Jerry Lee​

• UNIT

506 Infantry Regiment (Airmobile) (Company A,2 Bn)​

• RANK

Specialist Fourth Class​

• NUMBER

442460920​

• DATE OF DEATH

4th November 1971​

• AGE

28​

• GRAVESITE

Hillcrest Cemetery,Porterville,Tulare County,California G-566-5​

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

from Porterville,California​

born 16.7.1943​

married​

award Bronze Star​

accidental death Thua Thien Province,South Vietnam​

Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington,D.C. Panel 02W Line 61​

​

described as intentional homicide in records​

​

PATRICK FENDERSON​

I SERVED WITH JERRY IN THE 101ST ABN DIV. IN VIETNAM IN 1971​

THE TRUTH ABOUT JERRY WALKER'S DEATH.​

JERRY WALKER WAS ACCIDENTLY KILLED BY ONE OF THE MEN OF HIS SQUAD, A GOOD FRIEND. THE TWO MEN WERE COMING IN FROM GUARD DUTY FOR BREAKFAST ON FIRE BASE RAKKASAN, NORTHWEST OF HUE, AND WERE LAUGHING AND JOKING, AND THE OTHER MAN'S RIFLE WENT OFF, THE BULLET HITTING JERRY IN THE CHEST, KILLING HIM INSTANTLY. THE MEDIC TRIED TO REVIVE HIM, AND THOSE OF US NEARBY WATCHED AND PRAYED FOR HIM, BUT IT WAS NO USE. THE MAN WHO KILLED JERRY WAS COURTMARTIALED AND FOUND GUILTY OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER, MORE TO PROTECT HIM FROM ANY CIVIL REPERCUSSIONS WHEN HE GOT BACK TO THE STATES (DOUBLE JEOPARDY). THE MAN WAS ABSOLUTELY SHATTERED, AND WAS REMOVED FROM THE FIELD, AND ANOTHER FRIEND WAS SENT TO STAY WITH HIM FOR A TIME. HE NEVER RETURNED TO THE FIELD. WE ALL FELT BADLY, BOTH FOR JERRY AND FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT HIM. NOTHING COULD BE MORE TRAGIC THAN AN UNNECESSARY DEATH IN A COMBAT ZONE. I WANTED TO CLEAR THIS UP - JERRY WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW HE WASN'T MURDERED. AND KNOWING JERRY, HE WOULD FORGIVE HIS BUDDY.​