Jerry Glen Bridges was only nineteen years old when he enlisted in the army. Jerry had hopes and dreams just as all young men do. He had only six months of duty left when he was sent on his last mission in October of 1968. He was twenty years old. Jerry had six months to go until he would finally be home for good, six months until he could start planning his college career. Jerry was looking forward to college and the hopes of beginning his own family. This young man had a promising life ahead of him.

All those plans came to an end on October 20th, 1968 when flight engineer Jerry Glen Bridges and the other four crew members aboard the CH47 were sent on a resupply mission to Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam.

The aircraft commander Charles E. Deitsch radioed at 0700 hours that his aircraft was over the Ninh Hoa Valley. That was the last anyone heard of the CH47.

Jerry and his fellow crew members are true American Heros. They have been gone for over thirty years. The very least their government can do is bring these heros back home, whether they are dead or alive, whichever the case may be, this isn't much to ask, after all these men gave everything they had for their country. They gave their all and willingly they gave. They did not run or hide. These were brave men and America would benefit greatly having more men like those aboard the CH47.

Next time you meet a serviceman or woman, in active duty or a veteran, give them a hug and let them know that you care. They are the ones who make our nation great.


The following is a letter written by Jerry's neice
(9-16-99)

He was a very handsome man, everyone in the family called him Bubby or Bub for short, he was given this nickname at a young age. He was the 12th of 13 children he has 5 half brothers and 6 half sisters, and then my mother is his only full sister. His father died when he was 14 years old due to a stroke.

His mother is 91 years old and resides in a retirement home in Pulaski, Tn. she is in fairly good physical health for her age but suffers from Dementia. She has since lost two more sons, her oldest in 1984 to cancer and her next to youngest was killed 3 weeks ago in a logging accident in Hohenwald, Tn..

There is a memorial marker in Pulaski Memorial Gardens for my uncle Bubby. It would mean so much if his remains could be recovered, thats really all that we would expect after all these years. I believe that she lost hope of finding him alive many years ago.

The last time that he was home on leave was just two weeks before the aircraft went missing, he had already been in Vietnam for 13 months and had one year left. The Army gave him an option that if he would come back to Vietnam for six months then they would discharge him six months early. He took this option because he was looking forward to enrolling in college, and making a family. When he was home October 1968, he visited one of his older sisters in Illinois, who  was like a mother to him because she was an much older sibling.

About 10 years ago my grandmother and my aunt went to Washington for a memorial service and visited the wall. This was about the time that my mother and my grandmother gave blood to have tested for some remains that had been recovered, but nothing came of it. My mother said that the government would hold the blood speciman on file for future reference, but we have not heard anything from them since then.

I guess that I didn't realize that it was so easy to write to congress and try to inquire about the MIA's, until I pulled up some of the web sites last night. In fact I didn't even know that there were websites like this.You have brought my attention to this and I dont intend on letting it go at this, like you said the family's deserve some answer's. They sent our family members to Vietnam without good reason to begin with and then they turned there backs on them. Someone needs to provide some answers.

Julie

WE MUST BRING JERRY GLEN BRIDGES HOME!

BRIDGES, JERRY GLEN

Name: Jerry Glen Bridges

Rank/Branch: E5/US Army

Unit: 243rd Assault Helicopter Company, 10th Combat Aviation Battalion

Date of Birth: 07 January 1948 (Tamms IL)

Home City of Record: Columbia TN

Date of Loss: 20 October 1968

Country of Loss: South Vietnam

Loss Coordinates: 122945N 1090753E (BP890830)

Status (in 1973): Missing In Action

Category: 4

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: CH47

Refno: 1306

Other Personnel In Incident: Charles E. Deitsch; Henry C. Knight; Charles H. Meldahl; Ronald V. Stanton (all missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: On October 20, 1968, CW3 Deitsch, aircraft commander; WO1 Knight, pilot; SP5 Meldahl, crewchief; SP4 Bridges, flight engineer; and SP4 Stanton, door gunner, departed Dong Ba Thien Airfield, South Vietnam, in a CH47A helicopter (serial #66-19053) on a resupply mission to Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam.

The CH47 "Chinook" helicopter was one of the workhorses of the Army's air fleet. As a cargo lift, the Chinook could carry up to 28,000 pounds on its external cargo hook, and is credited with the recovery of 11,500 disabled aircraft worth more than $3 billion. As troop carrier, the aircraft could be fitted with 24 litters for medical evacuation, or carry 33-44 troops in addition to the crew. On one occasion, a Chinook evacuated 147 refugees and their possessions on a single flight. The Chinook could be outfitted for bombing missions, dropping tear gas or napalm in locations fixed wing aircraft could not reach. The big bird could carry a large cargo of supplies.

Deitsch radioed at 0700 hours on October 20 that his aircraft was over the Ninh Hoa Valley. That was the last anyone heard of the CH47. At about 0800 hours, it was determined that the helicopter was overdue.

An intensive search effort was made, but no wreckage was ever found of the CH47, and search efforts were concluded on October 28. Villagers were later canvassed throughout the Ninh Ho Valley, and literature was distributed asking about the crash of the Chinook, but no new information was ever discovered.

The five men aboard the Chinook lost on October 20, 1968 were classified Missing In Action. They are among nearly 2400 Americans who are unaccounted for from American involvement in Vietnam.

Experts now believe that hundreds of Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia, waiting for their country to come for them. The crew of the CH47 lost on October 20, 1968 could be among them.

It's time we brought them home.

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