Veteran of the Day graphic by Emma Catlett.
Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Gerald Tyson Cravey. Gerald served during World War II.
Gerald began his first enlistment with the United States Army in 1938, serving as an artilleryman. During this enlistment, he spent two years stationed in the Panama Canal Zone before being discharged in September 1941. Just two days after being discharged from the U.S. Army, Gerald reenlisted with the newly established U.S. Army Air Forces.
Due to his prior military experience, Gerald was assigned to serve as a drill sergeant at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. Unhappy with his position as a drill sergeant, Gerald jumped on an opportunity to become a radio operator and was sent to Scott Air Force Base for training.
Three days before Gerald arrived at Scott Air Force Base, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, marking the start of U.S. involvement in World War II.
After receiving training in radio operation at Scott Air Force Base, Gerald was sent to George Field in Lawrenceville, Illinois, where, to his dismay, he was again assigned as a drill sergeant. A year later it was found that Gerald had been misassigned, resulting in him being reassigned as a high speed radio operator.
From Illinois, Gerald received orders to deploy overseas with the 20th Air Force in Kharagpur, India. There he was responsible for overseeing radio operators and destroying old communications. After Kharagpur, Gerald was stationed in Myitkyina, Burma, where he served as a radio station chief.
Gerald was discharged at Camp Grant, Illinois on Nov. 2nd, 1945 at the rank of technical sergeant. For actions during his service, Gerald received an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars and a Good Conduct Medal. Upon returning home, Gerald attended the University of Illinois and received a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Gerald passed away in November 2005 at the age of 86.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Veterans History Project
This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.
Contributors:
Graphic designer: Emma Catlett
Fact checker: Jordan Gossett
Editor: Ashley Levi
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We honor the service of Army Veteran Gerald Tyson Cravey.
We honor the contributions of Army Veteran Gerald Tyson Cravey during the World War II.