Jerry Flynn - Veterans Memorial Park - Lake St. Louis, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 47.155 W 090° 47.684
15S E 691542 N 4295329
This Veterans Memorial Park is a large circles with rings of different honors. The outer two circles are for benches and, then lastly, trees dedicated to special interests.
Waymark Code: WM18HHB
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 08/06/2023
Views: 1
County of tree: St. Charles County
Location of tree: Veterans Memorial Park, Lake St. Louis
Erected by: Friday Night Group
Plaque Text:
IN MEMORY OF
JERRY FLYNN
WWII US NAVY
"GERALD V (JERRY) FLYNN
US NAVY 1943-1945
"Jerry Flynn was a little more than 15 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was riding his bicycle on a Sunday afternoon along the sidewalks of his hometown, Jacksonville, Illinois. It was December 7, 1941. Suddenly, people began to leave their homes and gather outside to share the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. Jerry wasn't quite sure what would happen next, but he quickly pedaled home. His life and the lives of millions of others would soon be changed forever.
"When he reached 17 years of age, he decided it was time for him to enlist. His older cousin, Delbert Flinn, had already joined the Army and was serving as a sharpshooter ranger. Delbert would later be killed in the invasion of Italy.
"Jerry was still in high school, but he begged his mother to sign his enlistment papers. Finally, she did. Jerry left high school. (He later completed high school after his discharge.) He enlisted in the US Navy on September 23, 1943, six weeks after his 17th birthday.
"He trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago, IL. Then he was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he served in the Shore Patrol, keeping order and patrolling outside the base, where snipers regularly tried to thin the ranks of service members.
Hawaii was still a dangerous location.
"His next duty was in the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan and Tinian) as part of the Asiatic-Pacific theatre campaign. Jerry was assigned to a Seabee battalion, operating heavy equipment to repair and build roads, bridges and housing on the islands. He returned safely to Pearl Harbor and was mustered out in 1945 as a Bosn's Mate First Class.
"Jerry went on to marry, raise a family, and have long and successful business and political careers. He was forever a patriot. He helped establish both the Lake Saint Louis American Legion and VFW posts. He was proud to serve as the first commander of Lake Saint Louis VFW Post 10350. He was a lifetime member of both the American Legion and
VFW." ~ St. Charles County Veterans Museum