Jerry Guffey was born in 1947 in Virginia. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 10, 1968, and completed basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in June 1968. Pvt Guffey next attended advanced infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, from June to August 1968, followed by service as a rifleman with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division in South Vietnam from September 1968 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on March 4, 1969. SP4 Guffey managed to escape from his captors later in the day on March 4th, and was hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to recover from his injuries from March to April 1969. His next assignment was as an auto rifleman and then tank driver with Troop G, 2nd Squadron of the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Meade, Maryland, from April 1969 until he left active duty on April 10, 1970. SP4 Guffey received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army Reserve on March 20, 1974.

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.