December 11, 2024
SAINT SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Not many people have had even one front-row seat to watch history unfolding before their eyes. Retired Col. Jerry Whiteside, U.S. Army, 87, has had two notable ones. The first was in Germany during the height of the Cold War, and the second was in Vietnam during the battle of the Ia Drang Valley, which was the focus of the book We Were Soldiers Once and Young. later turned into a film starring Mel Gibson. Through it all, this veteran’s faith helped sustain his journey through war, conflict, and crisis.
Born in 1937, Whiteside was raised on a 40-acre farm in Rockmart, Ga. His parents worked in textile mills and as he grew older much of the farming fell on his shoulders. A 4-H scholarship, part-time job at an Athens A&P grocery store, some help from his family, and later an ROTC scholarship allowed him to attend the University of Georgia.
During the 1950s, he explained, “All able-bodied young men were required to do two years of ROTC at the University.” The summer before his senior year he was selected to be cadet commander of the UGA Army ROTC. He and his new bride and high school sweetheart Sylvia Lee were on their honeymoon when he received a phone call informing him of his selection. He was also asked to shorten their honeymoon and return to the campus as soon as possible to prepare for the school year.
Sylvia has not only been Jerry's partner in life, but she was also instrumental in his conversion experience. He attended a country church growing up, where he was told, “When the good Lord takes ahold of you, you can’t help but join!” But he said, “I never got to that point.” He began attending FBC Rockmart with Sylvia when they began dating. It was through the encouragement and friendship of the pastor, W. C. Coley, that Whiteside made his commitment and was baptized during his junior year of high school.
The day following their graduation from UGA in 1959 he was sworn into the Army as a first lieutenant in the field artillery, and they moved to Fort Hood, Texas. The following year they began a 3-year assignment in Germany. It was during the height of the Cold War; the Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961), the construction of the Berlin Wall (1961), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), and finally the Autobahn Crisis (1963).
The Autobahn was a highway running through Soviet-occupied East Germany which linked the British and American sections of Berlin to West Germany. Following the Berlin Airlift in 1949, an agreement was reached to allow convoys to travel at scheduled times over the Autobahn. In 1963, the Soviets announced they would no longer abide by the agreement, setting up a showdown known as the Autobahn Crisis. The Americans, not to be deterred, following established protocol, scheduled a date and time for a supply convoy. When the day arrived, the gates were closed across the Autobahn, and two Soviet tanks blocked the roadway opposite the gates. Tension mounted over several hours as the clock ticked down to the appointed time for the convoy to pass.
Whiteside was in command of a battery of six howitzers. As the deadline approached, he said, “We got the orders to 'load your howitzers but don’t close the breaches'” (the final step before firing). Sylvia, only a few miles away, waited with their toddler son Lee, their car was loaded and they were prepared to flee if fighting broke out. At the appointed time for the convoy to proceed, the gates opened, and shortly thereafter the Soviet tanks backed down allowing the convoy to pass. The Autobahn Crisis was the last time the Soviets would attempt to deny access to Berlin and marked the beginning of a gradual de-escalation of tension along the border.
When Whiteside arrived in Vietnam in 1965 there were no American combat units in the country, only “military advisors.” He was assigned as the Fire Support Officer to the 1st Air Cavalry, 7th Regiment, commanded by Col. Hal Moore, portrayed by Gibson in the film. At that time, the air cavalry was a new concept that used helicopters to transport soldiers and supplies to and from the field. Whiteside was responsible for coordinating and calling in outside fire including artillery and air support.
Later that year, when the unit arrived from the States, they were given orders to seek and destroy the enemy in the central highlands of Vietnam. Air reconnaissance discovered a location, where it was possible to land up to four helicopters, to deploy the troops and establish a base camp. Whiteside said they had no idea of the size of the force that they would engage. As it turned out, the North Vietnamese force was a full brigade numbering about 6,000 men. The American forces engaging them over the three-day battle consisted of 477 men.
It was the first major land battle between the US and the regular North Vietnamese Army in the war. Because of his role, Whiteside remained at the side of Moore, for whom Fort Benning was renamed in May 2023, during the battle. It was Whiteside who relayed Moore’s order of “Broken Arrow” calling in all available air and artillery support when the command center was in danger of being overrun by the enemy.
The battle of the Ia Drang Valley was an American victory, but it came at the cost of 77 killed in action and 120 wounded. As Whiteside began recalling the day he visited the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. to visit panel E3 containing the names of the men killed at Ia Drang, his voice trailed off before he could finish the story. In 1970-71 he served a second tour of duty in Vietnam.
During his 24-year career, he served in many other places, continued his education, and was able to earn a doctorate along the way. He and Sylvia had a son and daughter during those years. He retired with the full rank of colonel in 1982. Then, it was time to come back home to Georgia.
Moving to Athens he returned to the university and became the director of personnel and staff development of the College of Agriculture. He and Sylvia had been members of FBC Athens during college in 1958 when the church voted to establish two missions. One of them became Beech Haven Baptist Church which they joined after their return. They were active members until moving to Saint Simons Island, Ga., in 2018 to be closer family.
Few of those in churches with whom he and Sylvia shared a pew could imagine the places they have lived and experiences they have shared. Children who saw his familiar face at church each week would probably never know that a hero like Jerry Whiteside walked among them. Yet Jerry is one of thousands of veterans and heroes in our pews and pulpits in the churches across America. They are in all communities and are our neighbors and people with whom we rub elbows during everyday life.
On Monday, Nov. 11, Americans are asked to “give honor to whom honor is due.” Take time to thank a veteran for the service they have rendered. For many have had, in that service, a front-row seat to history, making and shaping it along the way. Veterans like Jerry Whiteside are the unsung heroes among us!
