MUSCOGEE COUNTY, GA - MILITARY Vietnam Gerald Leopold Latini ***************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm *********************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:Betty Rackley Taylor BHS 1954 artnframes@aol.com The Baker Lion's High School website Betty Rackley Taylor BHS 1954 artnframes@aol.com Early last summer someone on this forum brought up the name of Gerald Latini, an army warrant officer who was killed in Viet Nam. Someone was wondering if he was a Baker High School graduate. I volunteered to do some checking around to see what I could find out. All I could find on the internet was basically when he was killed, where,...... but could not find out where he went to high school. This evening I was at the Bradley Library doing some research for a project that I intend to undertake in the near future and found that I had a few spare moments to kill while waiting for my wife to pick me up on her way home from work. I went into the research department, ( a foreign area to me when I was at Baker ), and told the person on duty what I was looking for. He suggested that I look through back issues of the Columbus Ledger Enquirer, ( which are on micro film ) and see if I could find an obituary. I knew the date of his death, 11- 29-67, so that greatly narrowed the field d! own as to the time frame in which I would have to look. The librarian put the micro film in the machine, showed me basically how to use it, wished me luck and headed back to his seat. He had not even got comfortable in his chair when in the Saturday December the 2cd issue on the 3rd page was an article announcing Gerald Latinis' death. Gerald was a 1961 graduate of Columbus High School. He also attended Columbus College and The University of Georgia. No dates as to when he attended these schools were given. He enlisted in the army in December of 1965 and went to helicopter flight school at Ft. Rucker Ala. where he graduated in January of 1967. He arrived in Viet Nam in Febuary of that year where he flew missions for the 161st Assault Helicopter Company until his death in November of that year. While doing some earlier research a couple of months ago I found out that he had been buried at Parkhill Cemetery here in Columbus but I was not able to find a date as to when. I did stop at the cemetery office, but they had no record of Gerald LATINI being a resident of their cemetery. His old military unit has a website at: www.161ahc.org A picture of Gerald Latini may be viewed in the photo gallery of Garland Lively. John H. Hastings john.hastings@sbcglobal.net