Terry Kramer was born in 1947 in Wisconsin. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 18, 1967, and completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in March 1967. Pvt Kramer attended Supply School at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from March to June 1967, and then served as a Supply Handler, Duty Soldier, Winch Operator, and Signalman with the 105th Transportation Company at Fort Eustis from June 1967 to January 1968. His next assignment was as a Marine Engineer with the 5th Transportation Company in South Vietnam from March 1968 until he was captured in Cambodia and taken as a Prisoner of War while serving aboard the landing craft LCU-1577 on July 17, 1968. After spending 156 days in captivity, Sgt Kramer was released by his Cambodian captors on December 19, 1968. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, Illinois, and then left active duty on January 18, 1969, receiving his honorable discharge from the Army Reserve on January 1, 1973.

The Soldier's Creed:

I am an American Soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.