Who the hell is Jerry Simmons?
Welcome to this brief look back at Cat Lai Vietnam.
My name is Jerry Simmons. Enlisting 'RA' in December 1965 (hoping to avoid Vietnam); Basic Training at Fort Ord, California, Artillery Survey school at Ft. Sill Oklahoma; orders for Vietnam in October 1966; finally arrived in Cat Lai in January 1967. This after a brief stay in Cu Chi. I didn't like it in Cu Chi very much. One day at a formation, a volunteer was needed that knew something about boats...being 'RA'...and having grown up on Summit Lake, Olympia Washington; and the great Pacific Northwest's Puget Sound...to make a long story short...two days later I was in Cat lai. After Cu Chi, I found Cat Lai very refreshing, and led to the reason why I call this web site 'My Cat Lai Vacation'.
I worked in many capacities while at Cat Lai. During my time at Cat Lai, I worked on the ships; on the river boats; as RTO in the tower at both Nha Be and Cat Lai.For a number of months I shared the supply sgt. duties with Marty Graczyk and worked with Frank Cooney and numerous others along the way, under Lt. Johnson. For a time after Tet, I was located up in the 11th Trans HD working for WO Moran and Capt Johnston and I worked with Skip Allen and Kim Dedic. TDY to Can Tho and My Tho a couple of times. Even helped manage the new PX after I was given the offer to "stay in country" for a few extra months to get that early out that nobody but the US Army wanted me to have!
I returned to the world in September 1968.
Jerry Simmons Lacey, Washington