Taps for Fallen Spur 36…
Col. Jerry Michael Thiels (Ret. US ARMY)
November 11, 1940 – June 17, 2013
A Mass of Christian Burial for Col. Jerry Michael Thiels will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, June 21, 2013 at St. Rita Catholic Church with Rev. Bruce Miller officiating. Interment will follow with full military honors in Alexandria Memorial Gardens, Woodworth, under the direction of John Kramer & Son.
Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday, June 20, 2013 and from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Friday, June 21, 2013 at John Kramer & Son. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday in the chapel of John Kramer & Son with Rev. Steve Brandow officiating.
Col. Jerry Michael Thiels, age 72, of Pineville, passed away Monday June 17, 2013 at the Alexandria Veterans Administration Medical Center.
He is preceded in death by the mother of his children, Ruthie Ann Thiels; parents, Lawrence and Eva Dunn Thiels; nephew, Michael Dewayne Thiels; infant nephew, James Malcolm Thiels; niece, Lorette Thiels; and nephew, Arick Thiels.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Lynn Ducote Thiels; children, Todd M. Thiels and fiance’ Donna of Turkey Creek, Tim Thiels (Tamara) of Brandon, MS, Rebecca Dunn (Bobby) of Van Buren, AR; Wendy Moreau (David) of Pineville, Misty Bishop (Joe) of Pineville; six siblings, Larry R. Thiels (Ann) of Walker, Rita O’Quinn (Danny) of Lecompte, Nita Poole (John) of Zachary, Ginger Thiels of Zachary, Tommy Thiels (Becky) of Monroe, and Fran Swain (Gary) of Elmer; 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, family, and friends.
Jerry Michael Thiels was born on November 11, 1940 in Alexandria to Lawrence and Eva Thiels. He was the second of seven children. He attended Our Lady of Prompt Succor Elementary School and graduated from Menard Memorial High School in 1958. He went on to graduate from Northwestern State College in 1962. While at Northwestern, he was selected as one of the Top Ten Young Men in America under President Lyndon B. Johnson. After graduation, he joined the United States Army as an Army Aviator flying combat missions in Huey and Cobra helicopters. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam and was stationed in Seoul, South Korea as well as Ft. Hood and Ft. Polk. During his tour in Vietnam he was shot down nine times. While serving his country, he earned the National Defense Service Medal, Army Aviator Badge, Air Medal (60th Award), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Sliver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross (2OLC), Bronze Star, Air Medal for Valor, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Commendation Medal (3OLC), Air Medal with V Device, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm (2d Award).
After retiring in 1985, he served as Executive Director of Esler Air Field for fifteen years. He owned and operated Windswept Cattle Ranch in Lecompte, LA, where he raised Belgian Blue cattle. He was an active member of the Cattlemen’s Association and the Border Collie Association, and President of the Louisiana Belgian American Club.
Pallbearers honored to serve at Mass are: Tommy Thiels, John Poole, Bobby Dunn, Jason Thiels, Jeremy Thiels, and Joey Thiels.
Honorary Pallbearers are Danny O’Quinn, Ray Bailey, and Maj. Gen. Dennis M. Kenneally.
Special Thanks to the doctors and staff of the VA Medical Center Alzheimer’s Unit as well as Doctor Erlinda Tan and her staff at the Palliative Care Unit. Jerry’s family appreciates the dedication and care given to him and the many Veterans they serve.
Memorials may be made to the Louisiana Alzheimer’s Association, 910 Pierremont Road, Ste. 410, Shreveport, LA 71106, (318) 861-8680.
Notes of condolence may be sent to the family online at KramerFunerals@aol.com.
Jerry standing in a Soui Da bunker, November or December of 1967. Looks like he is scheduling aircraft of his gun platoon – Chuck Oualline
Four Spurs, Nathan Pulliam, Dennis Kenneally, Billy Miller, and Raoul Robert with his wife Jonalyn, attended the funeral service for Jerry Thiels, Spur 36, on Friday, June 21, 2013. The service was held at the St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria, LA and Interment with full military honors followed at the Alexandria Memorial Gardens in Woodworth, LA
The four of us were from the original Silver Spurs that formed and trained at Fort Knox, deploying to Vietnam in October 1967. Nath was the original Troop Commander, Dennis and Billy were in the Gun Platoon along with Jerry Thiels and Raoul was in the Lift Platoon.
At the conclusion of the burial, Jerry’s younger brother, Tommy, joined us and ‘pumped’ us for stories of Jerry. We met several other family members and all expressed sincere thanks for our attendance. It was well attended and a moving service.
Also, Nathan’s son, Nath, accompanied his dad and became our ‘official photographer’. As a side note to those at Ft Knox the day of the terrible midair, son Nath was in the stands with his dad at the early age of 6 and remembers it vividly.
I would like to express a personal note of thanks to MG (Ret) Dennis Kenneally for all he did over the last several years for Jerry and his family. Dennis made numerous trips from California to Jerry’s home in Lecompte, LA and then the VA Medical Center in Alexandria as his illness worsened. A true friend forever of his platoon leader, Jerry Thiels. Sir, we thank you very much!
Billy J. Miller, Spur 37, 34 and 9
Letter posted April 25, 2016:
Dear Mrs. Lynn Thiels,
I live in Brandon, Florida, the first town east of Tampa. In 2008 on the 40th anniversity of the Tet Offensive I attended a ceremony at Veterans Park in Tampa put on by some military re-enactors. I answered a few questions from a St. Petersburg Times Journalist and Sunday (the next morning) it was in the newspaper and on the internet. Sunday morning I got a call from the Commander of a fellow unit of the 199th Infantry who joined my Company in the battle that first day of Tet 1968. The next day I got a call from Gene Rowan (36 Echo) who was your husbands Crew Chief at that time who had found the article on the internet. We have stayed in touch the past few years after realizing how close our lives have touched in the past. Gene forwarded me Silver Spurs 37’s MG Dennis M. Kenneally’s(ret) e-mail and I wanted to take this opportunity to give your husband and all those great men of Silver Spurs a long overdue THANK YOU from a greatful “Old Guard grunt” from the bottom of my heart.
Thank the Lord for you Lt. Colonel Jerry Thiels(ret), a man whom I have known my entire adult life only as Silver Spurs 36. I know your voice and your call sign because they have remained fresh in my mind for almost 44 years now. As I sit here penning this letter my heart is pounding, my mind racing, so many thoughts, so many feelings, and the memories.
I hardly know where to begin but first I do know I want to say thank you from the deepest part of my soul for being there during Tet and all the other times before and after that you and all your Silver Spurs Brothers came in to save me and my commrades and get us out of some real tight spots.
My name is Sgt. Gerard F. Abbett, B Company 2nd Batallion 3rd Infantry 199th Lt. Sep. Infantry Brigade (Redcatcher). I was the Company RTO for Capt. Jerry Romine at the time of Tet and eventually the Commo Chief through August 1968. When the sappers blew the ammo dump at Long Binh we were in the woods east of Ho Nai Village a few clicks out toward Fire Base New Orleans and Fire Base Tri-Corners. As we moved toward Long Binh through the night a Company of the 4th and 12th came out of Fire Base Concord with D Troop,17th Cav from the west through Ho Nai to the North/South Road off Highway 1. After a long day of us boxing them in ,most of them scattered back to thier hole in the ground. We set up on the North side of the village for the next week until most of them were eradicated, then we joined part of the 3rd and7th and 4th and 12th in Cholon(Saigon) for the mop up there and the Race Track area.
I think it was the third night of the offensive and Charlie was hitting us hard again from the North when we started getting some AK47 fire from the village, also 52cal from both ends of the village. We silenced the AK’s but were no match for the anti-aircraft weapons especially with all we had going on to our front. We called for support and by the Grace of God I heard this wonderful voice come over the radio and say this is Silver Spurs 36 what can I do for you. (You were flying that “Hog”) I thought to myself, its Spurs36 who has come to our aid before in some pretty tight spots, life is good. Being a native New Englander with a wicked strong accent, I identified myself by call sign and -6 Oscar(Funny I can’t remember my call sign because it changed so frequently, but yours I’ll take to my grave.) I said to you be careful they’ve got anti-aircraft out there and you said oh, I know. I told you there was a cross on top of one building, maybe a church, on one end and a tower on the other end of the village like a castle both with 52 cal. on them. You said, so what do you want me to do Boston. My response was could you please make them disappear. You chuckled and said”going in”. On your first pass you took them both out. Then one more thunderous run back through just for good measure. You cme back on the radio and said,”how’s that.” Terrific, I said and then Silver Spurs 36, stay safe,out. This allowed us to concentrate on the other VC trying to breach us and the perimeter of Long Binh. Those days ended what was known as the 274th and 275th NVA Regiments. Bien Hoa Airbase would reopen and Long Binh would remain secure.
To me Sir you are one of my lifelong hero’s. You, your crew in the air and on the ground, the men who flew your wing and those wonderful machines you brought to the fight. It is with the utmost pleasure that I can say to you and all of the Silver Spurs Family. THANK YOU for making me be able to enjoy a long life, a lovely wife of almost 40 years now and a fantastic daughter. You and yours, make me so proud to have been able to flourish in the greatest land on the face of the earth. Also I am able to say by the Grace of God, I had the pleasure and honor of being touched by some of the greatest men who have walked this earth, and flew above it.
My humblest respect and love to you and yours,
“Old Guard, Sir”
Gerard F. Abbett
Like Billy Miller, I wish to thank MG Kenneally for his selfless efforts to help Jerry and his family over the past years. And my sincere condolences to Jerry’s family and all the Spurs that served with Jerry.
The first time I met Jerry, he was pretty scary looking to me. But after a few minutes I realized he was a good guy and easy to work with. Jerry was a pure warrior. He went after the enemy and pressed the attack. He wasn’t reckless, he was methodical.
I used to joke at the reunions that if Jerry and John Jenks was in the same Charlie model, we would have drop tanks and rockets headed to Hanoi to shoot up the place. But we couldn’t make the trip that far. The crewchief and gunner would be awarded the COM just for riding with them.
He never turned a mission down and would be the first to fly. He would even pull someone of the aircraft and go in their place. That’s what made him a great leader and a great Gun pilot.
He was mated to the Charlie Model and could make it go places others couldn’t. I never had any fear with him as the AC. I knew I would be going back to the hooches that night or morning.
I cherish those times. But we have frail bodies and sooner or later they wear out. But he won’t be forgotten by me or any of the Silver Spurs. The VA home Jerry spent his last time was a first class operation when I visited him. I left him a Silver Spur scarf as a memento .
Well done my faithful friend. See you in Fiddler’s Green. God is with you now.