LeFors, Jerry, 1921-2008

Jerry LeFors, from the "Greatest Generation," was born in Oklahoma in 1921 and attended grade schools in West Texas. He graduated from high school in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1938 and then continued his education at Cameron Junior College in Lawton, where he graduated in 1940.

While in college he enjoyed playing the drums and had his own dance band in addition to his studies. He also became enamored with flying aircraft and became a Civilian Flight Instructor in Illinois in 1941, following graduation.

He entered the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 and became a fighter pilot in 1943. He was assigned to the European Theater as a Co-Pilot of a B-17 and was shot down on the Second Schweinfurt Mission on October 14, 1943. He was a Prisoner of War for 19 months until liberated in April, 1945.

He entered the construction field as a civilian and worked on many pipeline projects prior to becoming a General Engineering Contractor in California in 1960.

He also continued his love affair with music and played in dance bands on a part-time basis. Later, he operated his own nightclub for a year. His music has been a part time occupation almost all of his life. He plays drums, banjo, piano, organ and has penned some 35 songs, one of which, "Try Again," was recorded by Patsy Cline in 1957. He was a singer also -- a talent that gained him recognition while he was still in grade school. He took part in many church and school productions starting when he was a small boy.

He retired and relocated to Las Vegas in 1990. He had begun recording cassette tapes as a hobby in 1986 and in 1996 purchased a Roland G800 Keyboard. He is now producing tapes, which are recorded totally in his Las Vegas home. All the sounds heard are strictly Jerry and his vocal and musical renditions include many of the favorites of the World War II era. He recently produced a cassette tape entitled "EVERYBODY LOVES JERRY," which was recorded in May, 1999. No multiple recordings, editing or splicing of the tape.

Source:

American Ex-Prisoners of War. Website accessed on January 12, 2023. http://www.axpow.org/bios/leforstemp.htm