Photo Provided Jerry Genther, right, served as an Army medic following the Korean War. He was one of eight brothers who served in the United States military.
WHEELING — Jerry Genther wanted to honor his seven late older brothers and their service in the United States military with a small memoriam for Memorial Day. Yet behind those few words was a much deeper story about love and devotion to country.
All eight Genther brothers — Bill, Alfred, Carl, Gail, Paul, Richard, Bob and Jerry — joined the U.S. military. Jerry, now age 84, served in peacetime following the Korean War. The older seven served in either World War II or Korea or, in Gail’s case, both.
How all eight came to serve is a story in itself. The oldest brother, Bill, and the youngest, Jerry, were born 20 years apart — Bill in 1917 and Jerry in 1937. They were among 12 siblings, including four sisters. The Elm Grove family never lived in the same house at the same time.
“My dad, he lost the house during the Depression,” Jerry Genther said, “and there was no work.”
Some of the children went to foster homes. Some went to live with neighbors. Gail was adopted by another family and his last name became Brock. Some stayed with their parents. The Genthers’ mother died when Jerry was 9. He got his first job wiping down windows at the Elm Grove Drive-In to help make ends meet.
Though so much of their time was spent apart, the brothers’ lives all eventually led them into the military. Seven enlisted, while Bob was drafted to fight in the Korean War. Because the Depression spread the family so far apart, Jerry never did get a chance to ask his brothers why they all followed the same path.
“I can’t say they enlisted because they wanted to be patriotic,” Jerry Genther said, “which I think they did.”
Jerry Genther served as commander of Chapter 117 of the Disabled American Veterans in Bellaire at the same time his wife Janice served as commander of the chapter’s women’s auxiliary. (Photo Provided)
Military service did run in the family, all the way back to the Revolutionary War. An ancestor, John Supler, served on the Andrew Doria, a 1775 American brig that participated in the Battle of Nassau and the Battle of Block Island.
Each of the brothers played different roles during their military service and each returned home at the end of his enlistment. Carl was in charge of a prison that housed captured Japanese soldiers. Bill fought the Germans in field combat. Gail served 25 years in the Marines. Paul served in the U.S. Navy near the site where they practiced dropping the atomic bomb. Jerry said Paul had to wash the ship decks daily with purified water.
Bob guarded the 38th Parallel, the border between North and South Korea. Richard served four years in Korea. He died at age 37. Post-traumatic stress disorder was not a diagnosis back then, but Jerry said his brother suffered from it.
“He couldn’t forget the Marines,” Jerry Genther said. “They didn’t have PTSD then. They didn’t know that.”
Jerry served as an Army medic following the Korean War. He eventually joined the Disabled American Veterans in 1989 and served as commander of Chapter 117 in Bellaire. His late wife Janice served as the commander of Chapter 117’s women’s auxiliary at the same time Jerry was commander.
In the end, Jerry Genther wanted to make sure his brothers were remembered for their service to their country. As years pass, the number of surviving World War II and Korean War veterans continues to dwindle. Jerry Genther saw the sacrifices his brothers made for their country. They are sacrifices he feels are worthy of appreciation and gratitude.
“Freedom isn’t free,” Jerry Genther said. “I’m the last survivor, and I think that they deserve something. I figured I ought to try to get them some recognition.”
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May 31, 2021 at 11:00AM
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'Freedom Isn't Free': Wheeling Man Reflects on His and His Seven Brothers' Military Service - Wheeling Intelligencer
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