Jerry Eugene Tew

Jerry Eugene Tew grew up in Grinnell with three sisters and a brother. He graduated from Grinnell High School in the class of 1969. As a youth he participated in the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and was a member of the First Baptist Church. In Scouts he was a part of the Order of Arrow. Tew worked at McNally’s and Ahren’s Manufacturing. Before entering the military Tew attended Marshalltown Junior College for one year. He was drafted by the Army in February 1971. He received his Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO and his Specialty Training in the Military Police at Camp Gordon, GA. PFC Tew arrived in Southeast Asia in July 1971 and was stationed at the Army’s Cam Ranh Bay Airfield. PFC Jerry Tew died on October 29, 1971 as a result of an intentional homicide at the hands of another U.S. serviceman. The 20-year-old’s remains were buried with full military rites at the Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell.