Aside from the accident, his high school life evolved to be fairly similar to that of his grade school life. For Jerry, school came first, followed helping at home when he had time, family time, and then spending time with friends. As this sounded like a very ritualistic lifestyle, without much time for leisure activities or hobbies, I asked Jerry what he did for fun during high school. He said it depended on who he was with. If he was with his buddies, then they always hunted or fished, as most boys who grew up in the country loved spending time out in the country. He remembered having a great time with his friends, but he also said he really enjoyed spending time with his family as well. They played card games nearly every night, and he said, since there were so many siblings, it was easy to get any kind of game going outside, which happened nightly when the weather cooperated. Along with the cards and outside games, Jerry said he really enjoyed family picnics at a lake nearby their property. In the spring, …show more content…
He said this change was even tougher than the last because he left his wife and their four children behind, but again he stated that since he and Mae were so committed to each other they found ways to make it work. He said he did have the unique opportunity once a week to speak with Mae over a telephone line, which they enjoyed very much. Jerry was supposed to spend a total of 13 months in Vietnam, but only spent nine and thankfully did not see any action. The reason his term was cut short was because his father passed away and he was granted 30-day leave to attend the funeral. After the funeral he asked if he could return to his instructor position in Denver since his term was almost up anyways, which was approved