Jerald W. Berry

Jerald W. "Jerry" Berry grew up on a farm in the Mississippi Delta near Greenwood, Mississippi. As a youth, he enjoyed the barefoot, adventurous lifestyle of the fictitious characters, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, as described by the author, Mark Twain. When not in school or working in the cotton fields, his days were spent exploring the vast hardwood forests, open meadows, rivers, and lakes surrounding the family farm.

Jerry attended a small country school and graduated in 1963. His college years began with Holmes Junior College at Goodman, Mississippi. Two years later, he enrolled at the University of Alabama; but his education was interrupted by a summons from “Uncle Sam” to join the ranks of the military. Berry entered military service in January 1967, received his Basic Combat Training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Advance Infantry Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Airborne Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Consequently, he served two years with the U.S. Army, including a one-year tour of duty in south Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Shortly after arriving in Vietnam as a paratrooper-rifleman in the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 506th Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Berry became the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Battalion. His task as Combat Photographer and Reporter was to chronicle the Battalion tour of duty in South Vietnam through pictures and newspaper articles. He was wounded at the beginning of the infamous Communist Tet Offensive of 1968 and received the Purple Heart Medal for his wounds in action. As a result of his experience in South Vietnam, a wealth of photographs, newspapers stories, field interview notes, and personal diary entries came home with him and ultimately formed the basis for his books.

After completing his tour of duty in Vietnam, Berry continued his college education by attending Mississippi State University and pursuing his career with the U.S. Forest Service, ultimately moving to the Pacific Northwest. He was able to finish his education by graduating from Lewis – Clark State College in Idaho. Berry’s thirty-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, retiring as a Staff Resource Manager/Staff Wildlife Biologist on the Kootenai National Forest. He currently resides in Montana with his wife, Donna, and continues his dedication to the legacy of the 3-506 by maintaining several active Internet websites for his fellow veterans.

Retirement also allowed Berry the opportunity to dedicate time to writing his many books and articles. He is the author of six books, "Psychological Warfare Leaflets of the Vietnam War", “The Stand Alone Battalion, A Pictorial Chronology of the 3-506 Vietnam Odyssey (1967-1971), “My Gift To You—The Stories of soldiers who died in Vietnam while serving with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 506th Infantry (Currahees), 101st Airborne Division”; "In The Company of Heroes--The Memoirs of Captain Richard McCallion Blackburn", “Twelve Days In May—The Untold Story of the Northern Thrust into Cambodia by 4th Infantry Division (Operation Binh Tay I) in May 1970”, and his latest book, “They Called Us Currahees”.

Berry can be contacted through his website, www.currahee.org, or via e-mail at jerryberry@currahee.org.