Reminiscences of a Life Well Spent by an Old Redleg (Artilleryman): Building a Foundation for Success

Col(Ret) Gerald W. "Jerry" Sharpe covers his life from birth in November 1941 to the current day. In this first of three volumes, he describes his childhood, living in five states by age four, then Chicago, IL for five years, and Oakland CA for four. before his parents were reassigned to their church's western headquarters in Westminster, CO. He graduated from Belleview Christian High School and attended two years of college. He relates many memorable events from this period. He explains how life changed when his father reneged on a promise to buy him a car. He joined the Army "to get as far away from home as possible" He served as an enlisted man in Friedburg, Germany, earning awards and rising to the rank of sergeant in two years. Jerry was accepted into OCS at Fort Sill, graduating as an Artillery 2nd lieutenant in April 1964. He served in two assignments before returning to OCS to produce lieutenants for the Vietnam War. He was sent to Turkey, back to his advanced course, and then to Vietnam where he served with distinction. He concludes this volume with civil schooling at Oklahoma University with his wife and four children. Jerry will publish book two of this series, Striving for Excellence, sometime in 2025. It will cover his remaining life in the military up to his retirement in 1989 as a full colonel.