Gus Mehrer was born on April 3, 1949, in Leoben, Austria, and he immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was a child. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 23, 1967, and completed basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington, in December 1967. Pvt Mehrer next attended Radio Relay and Carrier Operator training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, from January to May 1968, followed by additional training with the 23rd AG Admin Company Replacement Detachment in South Vietnam from May to June 1968. His first assignment was as a Radio Relay and Carrier Operator with the 156th Signal Platoon of the 196th Infantry Brigade in South Vietnam from June 1968 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War by the viet cong in South Vietnam on Christmas Day, December 25, 1968. After spending 1,543 days in captivity, SSG Mehrer was released during Operation Homecoming on March 16, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, and then received an honorable discharge from the Army on September 21, 1973.