'Tennessee' Williams Sr. Served During Cold War - Greeneville Sun
They called Jerry Williams Sr. "Tennessee" during his two-year stint in the U. S. Army. Williams, who turned 66 Monday, was presented a Quilt of Honor, Respect and Valor on Saturday by members of the Mosheim-based Greene County Quilters group. After being drafted, Williams underwent basic training in Fort Jackson, S. C. and then specialized training in Fort Knox, Ky. , for maintenance of. 50-caliber machine guns, tanks and personnel carriers. Williams served in Germany for about 19 months between 1969 and 1971. He was in charge of the motor pool of his unit, C Company, of the 64th Armor Regiment, which was attached to the 3rd Infantry Division. Williams was responsible for the maintenance of 17 M60 Patton battle tanks, an M-88 recovery vehicle, an M-113 armored personnel carrier, heavy trucks, Jeeps and other vehicles. Williams was also a sharpshooter, rated an expert on several weapons, including the M-1 and M-14 rifles and M-60 heavy machine gun. Williams' base was close to the East German border during the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. German people near Williams' base "were nice to us," he recalled. Williams steadily rose up the ranks, being promoted to E-5 in 1970. His duties took him to the tank gunnery range, where a different kind of enemy lay in wait. Source: www.greenevillesun.com
