Augustine, Jerry

Jerry Augustine was born July 29, 1945 in Middletown, Connecticut.  He grew up in that community during the “Fabulous 50s”, enjoying all that life had to offer in that idyllic time – comic books, early TV, rock’n’roll and cars.  It was also the time of the Cold War and Jerry remembers Sputnik and the Red Scare – and the escalating crisis in Vietnam.  He was attending UConn when he received his draft notice in the mid-60s; while he could have taken a deferment, Jerry felt it was his duty to serve.  He went through basic training and was on his way to Vietnam in August 1966.  He was assigned to the 196th Light Infantry Brigade and saw action near the Cambodian border – notably in and around the Michelin Rubber Plantation, where they had to avoid damaging the trees or they’d incur a fine!  Memorably Jerry had an old camera with him and he took 100s of photographs during his time in country.  As an infantryman, Jerry confronted the many realities of war:  search and destroy missions, the intensity and uncertainty of combat, Vietnamese civilians who may have been an unseen threat, and the loss of fellow soldiers.  Jerry later transferred into the 4th Infantry Division, and he completed his one year tour of duty in Vietnam, returning to the United States – as he puts it – a “changed man”.  Jerry recalls that he immediately returned to work and that he did not allow himself time to readjust.  Over time, he began to show symptoms of what would later be called PTSD; he went to the Veterans’ Administration and sought help, a path that eventually led him to pursue a physical fitness routine that helped him to begin to put the war behind him.  He settled into the rhythms of life alongside his family.  We met Jerry courtesy of the Veterans’ Breakfast Club, and Crestwood students were able to zoom with him in May 2024.