Jerry L. Terrell

Jerry L. Terrell was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a member of the NROTC program at Georgia Tech and joined the U.S. Navy on June 29, 1956. He served on board the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CVS-11) in 1966 and 1967. His service on board Intrepid spanned two of the ship's deployments during the Vietnam War. ‌He was a pilot in attack squadron VA-15, flying the A-4 Skyhawk on combat missions over South Vietnam and North Vietnam. He was a lieutenant commander during his time on board Intrepid. Terrell subsequently served a combat tour in Vietnam as the commanding officer of VA-93, flying from the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CV-41). Terrell flew 376 combat missions during the Vietnam War and received numerous combat awards including seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, 39 Air Medals and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. Terrell retired from the Navy on August 31, 1983. Terrell's fellow aviators refer to him by his Navy nickname, Possum. He was interviewed for the Museum's oral history collection (OHP 148).