Jerry T. Tillery

"Jerry was well-liked by almost anyone he met because of his smile.. He was always willing and ready to help," said his father. The 22-year-old Marine private had graduated in January 1965 from Olney High School, where he played varsity baseball and table tennis. He had difficulty finding a full-time job he liked and enlisted that September. The assault-rocket gunner was sent to Vietnam, where he was assigned to Company H of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Tillery was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions on Feb. 6, 1968, during the Tet Offensive. He led an antitank assault squad to a rooftop overlooking his unit�s objective in Thua Thien Province and came under intense fire. He carried two injured soldiers to safety and returned to the rooftop where be knocked out seven enemy gun emplacements before he was fatally wounded. He was survived by his parents, five brothers and two sisters.