Jerry Tester was born in 1947 in Sugar Grove, North Carolina. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 26, 1967, completed basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in June 1967, and attended Advanced Individual Training at a Military Policeman at Fort Gordon, Georgia, from July to August 1967. His first assignment was as a Military Policeman with the 79th Ordnance Detachment in South Vietnam from September to December 1967, followed by service as a Military Policeman with the 560th Military Police Company in South Vietnam from December 1967 until he was captured on a tugboat in Cambodia on May 20, 1968. After spending 22 days in captivity, SP4 Tester was released by his captors on June 10, 1968. He then returned to the United States, and served as a Military Policeman with the 112th Military Police Company and then the 22nd Military Police Detachment at Fort Bragg from August 1968 until he left active duty on April 25, 1969.

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.