Camps
Held In: FRANKFURT, LUFT III, VIIA, NURNBURG
How
Long Interned: 563 days
Liberated
/ repatriated:liberated
Date
Liberated: 04/29/45
Age
at Capture: 22
Medals
Received: ETO MEDAL, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, PRISONER OF WAR MEDAL
Military
Job: CO-PILOT
Company:
SELF EMPLOYED
Occupation
after War: CONSTRUCTION
Bio:
Jerry LeFors from the “Greatest Generation” was born in Oklahoma in
1921 and attended grade schools in West Texas. He graduated from high
school in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1938 and then continued his education at
Cameron Junior College in Lawton where he graduated in 1940. While in
college he enjoyed playing the drums and had his own dance band, in
addition to his studies. He also became enamored with flying aircraft
and became a Civilian Flight Instructor in Illinois in 1941, following
his graduation. He entered the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 and
became a fighter pilot in 1943. He was assigned to the European Theater
as a Co-Pilot of a B-17 and was shot down on the Second Schweinfurt
Mission on October 14, 1943 and became a Prisoner of War for 19 months
until liberated in April, 1945. He entered the construction field as a
civilian and worked on many pipeline projects prior to becoming a
General Engineering Contractor in California in 1960. He also continued
his love of music and played in dance bands on a part-time basis and
later operated his own nightclub for a period of one year. His music has
been a part time occupation almost all of his life. He has played drums,
banjo, piano, organ and penned some 35 songs, one of which “Try
Again” was recorded by Patsy Cline in 1957. He was always singing
also—a talent that was recognized many years ago while still in grade
school and has resulted in his participation in many church and school
productions since he was a small boy. He retired and relocated to Las
Vegas, Nevada in 1990. He had begun recording cassette tapes as a hobby
in 1986 and in 1996 purchased a Roland G800 Keyboard. He is now
producing tapes, which are recorded totally in his Las Vegas home. All
the sounds heard are strictly Jerry and his vocal and musical renditions
of many of the favorites of the World War II era. He has recently
produced a cassette tape entitled “EVERYBODY LOVES JERRY” which was
recorded in May, 1999. No multiple recordings, editing or splicing of
the tape.
