Jerry Collinsworth was born on December 23, 1919, in Dublin, Texas. He enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on August 18, 1941, and was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings at Luke Field, Arizona, on March 6, 1942. His first assignment was as a P-40 Warhawk and P-39 Airacobra pilot with the 307th Fighter Squadron of the 31st Fighter Group at New Orleans AB, Louisiana, from March to May 1942, then deployed to England flying the British Spitfire from June to October 1942, and finally in combat as a Spitfire pilot in North Africa from November 1942 until he returned to the U.S. in September 1943. During this time, Capt Collinsworth was credited with the destruction of 6 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, 1.25 probables, and 1 damaged. His next assignment was as a P-39 and P-47 Thunderbolt instructor pilot with the 494th Fighter Bomber Squadron at Northern Field, Tennessee, from September 1943 to March 1944, followed by service as a P-47 instructor pilot at Calveston, Texas, and Winfield, Kansas, from April 1944 until he was discharged from active duty on October 17, 1945. Jerry flew for United Airlines from 1945 to 1947, and returned to active duty in the U.S. Air Force on December 12, 1947. Maj Collinsworth served as an instructor and operations officer at Craig AFB, Alabama, from January 1948 to February 1951, and then completed jet fighter training and all-weather interceptor training at Tyndall AFB, Florida, from March to November 1951. His next assignment was as an F-94 Starfire pilot with the 449th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Ladd AFB, Alaska, from December 1951 to September 1952, followed by service as Operations Officer of the 57th Fighter Interceptor Group at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, from September to November 1952. Col Collinsworth next served as Director of Training for the 10th Air Division at Elmendorf AFB from November to December 1952, and then as Commander of the 66th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Elmendorf from January to October 1953. He attended Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, from December 1953 to July 1954, and received an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to the University of Texas from July 1954 to July 1955. Col Collinsworth next served as an Air Force Advisor to the New York Air National Guard with the 137th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at White Plains, New York, from July 1955 to July 1959, followed by service as an Operations Staff Advisor with the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Taipei, Taiwan, from July 1959 to August 1961. He served as Deputy Commander of the 4510th Combat Crew Training Group and then Commander of the 4540th Combat Crew Training Group at Luke AFB, Arizona, from September 1961 to July 1964, and then served as Deputy Commander for Operations for the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, from July 1964 to September 1965. His next assignment was as Commander of the 4510th Combat Support Group at Luke AFB, followed by service at Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, before he retired from the Air Force at Carswell AFB, Texas, on November 1, 1970. Jerry Collinsworth died on May 12, 2010, and was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona.