In August, WWII Veteran Jerry Ravenscroft celebrated his 100th birthday at the Crossroads Church in Loveland with the help of his family, author Brad Hoopes, and friends. In his honor, a parade was given at the church by the City of Loveland first responders, several veterans, and friends.
Jerry Ravenscroft and Family
Jerry had quite the story to tell about his WWII career. After earning his wings, Jerry is assigned to the 26th Fighter Squadron of the 14th Air Force (The Flying Tigers). On a mission in his P-51 fighter over China, his plane was hit. Bailing out of his plane, he didn’t have any training or practice on using his parachute.
He lands safely deep in Japanese held territory and is soon picked up by Chinese guerrillas. They tell him to do is take off his boots as the sole print of his boot will make it easy for the Japanese to track him. For the next 30 days, Jerry walks shoeless through the Chinese countryside in the middle of winter, until he returns to friendly Allied lines. Because of his incredible journey and knowing too much about escape routes in China, Jerry is assigned to work for the Office of Strategic Services, which is the forerunner to the CIA.
After his service, Jerry went on to have a 20-year career as a stockbroker and then another 20 years owning a number of art galleries. He was married to his wife Sandy for 65 years until her passing and has five children. Article courtesy of Brad Hoopes, WWII author and project coordinator for www.rememberandhonor.com.