Gerald John Struble

STRUBLE, GERALD JOHN Another warrior has fallen; Gerald J. Struble lost his fight with cancer this last Friday, the 3rd of February 2012, in the late evening at Boulder Memorial Hospital. He was survived by no one, except a very few close friends. He loved to be walking in the mountains and hunting, where he found a deep connection to the land and animals. Gerry was in the United Sates Navy and served for 11 years as an Aviation Boatswains Mate and rose to the rank of E-6, First Class Petty Officer. He served on the USS Forrestal when the great fire happened on July 27th of 1967, where 134 men lost their lives that day. Gerry was on the flight deck, forward of the island, within 100 feet of Senator John McCain†™s A-4 shy Hawk, who†™s fuel tank was struck and ruptured by an exploding Zuni missile from another nearby A-4, Started the catastrophic fire. Gerry was awarded 100% service connection for physical injuries. He suffered inhalation of burning jet fuel, exploded bombs containing Agent Orange, and burned humans, while fighting the fires below decks. He received a purple heart for his injuries and actions of that day. It is an honor and a privilege to have walked the last mile with my friend Gerry. I held his hand until he made his transition; he passed from this life quietly and quickly after life support was stopped. He received †œAnointing of the infirm†� from a Catholic Priest from Sacred Heart of Boulder the hour of his passing, Gerry was a practicing Catholic. Birth: Sep 17, 1947, Marlboro County, New Jersey Death: Feb 3, 2012, Boulder, Colorado