Jerry Fairbanks

Jerry enlisted as a reserve officer in the Army in 1961. He had been in an ROTC program while at Gonzaga University. His original goal was to be accepted into Paratroop school, but this plan did not work out when no officer positions were open. He was sent instead to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland where he was assigned for training in the Ordnance Corp. After training for about three months, he was sent to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. His principal job involved the training of crews in the maintenance of several· missile systems such as the Nike, Ajax, and Hercules surface to surface systems. His work involved training a number of international crews including Iranians, Chinese, and Japanese. At one time, he was the Company Commander of a group of Turks, who he says were surprisingly easy to get along with. The crews were trained in trouble-shooting the various electronic systems. He received a Commendation for his work in streamlining the maintenance of these systems. He left the service as a 1st Lieutenant in 1964.