Jerry Lee Roe
Captain
50TH MED DET, 43RD MED GROUP, 44TH MED BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
Houston, Texas
March 16, 1942 to October 03, 1973
(Incident Date February 12, 1968)
JERRY L ROE is on the Wall at Panel 39E, Line 12

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Jerry L Roe
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11 Jul 1999

Captain Jerry Lee Roe is still a very real part of my life. He was 10 years older but he never treated me like a little tag-a-long and I was crazy about him. To tell the truth, Jerry was a little pill in high school. His friend, Weldon McDaniel, said they nicknamed him the "Mosquito" because he was small, wiry, and fearless. Those are the years that I remember the most. When he went away to college at Sam Houston State University, I didn't get an opportunity to see him very much. It was there he met and married Mitzi.

He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1966. He received his pilot rating in 1967. Prior to his duty in Vietnam, Jerry was stationed at Ft. Walters, Mineral Wells, Texas; Ft. Rucker, Alabama; and Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas.

Jerry went to Vietnam in 1967 as a medical evacuation helicopter pilot. He and his crew were called to pick up two wounded soldiers by helicopter and during the flight they disappeared mysteriously from their base radar screen.

He is survived by his wife Mitzi, parents Mr. and Mrs. Elzo Roe, a sister, one niece, one nephew, and a host of relatives and friends who loved him dearly.

Please visit my
complete memorial to Captain Jerry Roe

From his cousin,
Sandy Kilgo
MrsKilgo@aol.com


 

Dear Sandy,

I was a classmate of Jerry's at McCallum High School and went to Sam Houston State with him for a while. This last weekend was spent at Port Aransas, Texas with some of the close friends of Jerry's to celebrate our 60th birthdays. Jerry was a very close friend to all of us and he is always in our thoughts. In our reminiscing, Jerry's name came up frequently as he was a real character and an integral part of all of our lives.

You will probably be getting e-mails from some of the other friends of Jerry's. Several of us went with Jerry to race his 1950 Ford in various drag races around the state. Jerry lived life to the fullest and the world lost a special person when we lost Jerry. I was with Jerry the night before he left San Antonio to go to Viet Nam and that was the first time that I had ever seen Jerry worried about anything. We all miss Jerry and wish that he was still with us.

Yours Truly,
Charles D. Penick
cpenick@bastropcounty.com


 
30 Aug 2002

Greatest Honor

It is a great honor to post this memorial to a neighbor, a school classmate, and an outstanding serviceman whose dedication and sacrifice were testimony and a credit to the finest ideals of McCallum High School and the community of Austin, Texas.

Your life was far too short but what an impact you left, for it will show generations to come that you were there to guarantee our freedom. For the blood you shed, countless tears flowed. We will sadly miss you, and will never forget your unselfish sacrifice.

He was known as the "Mosquito", he was larger than life, he gave all for us.

God Bless Him.

From a high school friend,
Cody Schneider
codyschneider@sbcglobal.net


 
19 Nov 2003

I found an old metal prayer bracelet in my grandmother's drawer when I was 8 years old, I am now 25. She sat me down, explained what it was and meant, that it was actually my great-grandmother's bracelet, and she then gave it to me to take care of. I still have it to this day, and have always prayed for the family and man on the bracelet -

Cpt Jerry Roe - 2-12-68.

Dolly Reynolds
achazia9@aol.com


 
27 May 2007

I've worn Jerry's bracelet for so many years now. It's my constant reminder that my freedom is never free. Someone paid the cost. It's the US soldier that gave his life for my physical freedom. And it's Jesus, the Son of the Living God, who gave His life for my spiritual freedom. The ultimate price was paid, and I am free! I am eternally thankful for both!

Blessings to Jerry's cousin, Sandy Kilgo, who has so graciously provided me with such wonderful information about Jerry. Thank you for sharing your precious memories with me. Sandy, I recall you telling me many years ago that Jerry was a born again believer in Jesus Christ. Because he knew he would spend eternity in heaven, he would often volunteer to take very dangerous missions, so those who may not have the same assurance could be spared the possibility of dying too soon. It was on one such mission that Jerry never returned. That says volumes about a man. Don't you know that as he kneels before the Savior, he hears "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"

On this Memorial weekend, 2007, I send my deepest thank you to all those who have served and their families who also must make tremendous sacrifices. God bless you all! ~joann

Joann Richards
tx-runt@sbcglobal.net


 

Notes from The Virtual Wall

On February 12, 1968, a UH-1H HUEY (tail number 66-17027) was dispatched on a night medical evacuation mission, departing Ban Me Thuot for the Gia NghaI Special Forces camp. The crew consisted of U.S. Air Force tactical control radar operators at Ban Me Thuot tracked the flight. The UH-1H disappeared from the radar screen at 2019 hours. The helicopter apparently went down 20 minutes outbound from its base in a mountainous region of Quang Duc Province.

An Army Infantry unit searched the apparent crash site near the Cambodian border for 36 hours, but found neither the helicopter nor its crew. Snipers were not known to be in the area, and it is believed the helicopter went down due to mechanical problems. The four men were placed in "Missing in Action" status.

Beginning in late 1973, the Secretary of the Army approved Presumptive Findings of Death for the aircrewmen, including Captain Roe (03 Oct 1973). As of 31 December 2001, none of the four men have been located.

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