SEARCH RESULTS

Jerry Roettgers

---

Jerry Roettgers saw himself as a fighter pilot, but when he was drafted, the reason they said no was quite a surprise to him. So, he became an infantryman, but when his unit was ready to go, the War Department had a different idea. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (5:56)

---

Jerry Roettgers was finally shipping out to Europe. He was waiting in England when the Battle of the Bulge happened and his unit was rushed to the docks to cross the Channel. By chance, he was not on the SS Leopoldville when it was torpedoed and went down with a great loss of life. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (3:47)

---

It was a containing action around a superior German force on the French coast. There were daily patrols and it was Jerry Roettgers turn after a night of heavy snow. As they snooped around behind the German lines, trying to locate enemy artillery, they were ambushed and he looked at a lot of guns aimed at him. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (6:19)

---

There were pockets of German troops on the French Atlantic coast who were blockaded and contained, but that didn't stop them from capturing Jerry Roettgers in January of 1945. He was interrogated by a mysterious German who was fluent in English. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (4:21)

---

The American and French prisoners were kept in an old seaplane hangar near the German submarine pens in Saint Nazaire. The German officer in charge of the prisoners knew the end of the war was coming, so he was gracious to his unwilling guests, including Jerry Roettgers. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (5:20)

---

It was their first exercise in the field after basic training. Jerry Roettgers recalls how it rained all night while they dug foxholes in the muck. In the morning, the chow truck came and the first man in line was also in line for a rude awakening. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (3:24)

Jerry Sinn

---

Jerry Sinn retired as a three star General but he started out as a draftee who decided to go to Officer Candidate School. Trained as a combat engineer and sent to Vietnam, he was surprised at the type of equipment he was issued for an assignment to the reconnaissance platoon. That's when he found out he was a Tunnel Rat. (6:40)

---

The Tunnel Rats went right down into the Viet Cong's holes in the ground and eliminated them. When new Lieutenant Jerry Sinn got a taste of it, he knew he could do it. The teams were experienced, disciplined and deliberate, and since it was the 1st infantry Division, no less was expected. (6:46)

---

In his initial Vietnam assignment, Jerry Sinn respected and trusted his Vietnamese scouts. But when he later served with a different outfit, the South Vietnamese soldiers he was assisting were incompetent and he was not very impressed with them. He was impressed by the Australians and enjoyed working with them and he has nothing but praise for the officers and enlisted men of the 1st Infantry Division. (6:14)

---

It was the most incredible Tunnel Rat mission he had in Vietnam. Jerry Sinn recalls flying into a hot landing zone and having a terrific firefight before his team even got to the tunnel. Then they discovered they were right in the middle of a Viet Cong bunker complex. Before it was over, he was wounded and one of his team had earned a Silver Star. (6:14)