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thedrifter
02-06-07, 07:34 AM
Retracing brother's path in war

February 6, 2007
By Jim Hook SUN-TIMES NEWS GROUP

Man killed 41 days before WWII ended

It was a trip Jerry Tesmond had to take.

The 73-year-old Orland Park man traveled to Germany with his wife, Norene, a few years ago to retrace the ill-fated journey his brother made more than 50 years earlier in Army during World War II.

"I had to see for myself what happened to my brother," Tesmond said. "I had to see where it happened. But I also did it to honor the memory of my brother. He didn't get to live a life. I did."

Tesmond said taking the trip was cathartic.

"It provided closure for myself and my family," he said. "I only wish my dad and brother Bob (both deceased) could have been there with me."

James "Jay" Tesmond Jr. was a 21-year-old Army gunner attached to the 743rd Tank Battalion that rolled across the Rhein River pushing toward Dorsten, Germany.

It was March 27, 1945 -- 41 days before the war would end.
German onslaught
The 743rd had left Wesel, Germany, days earlier and was nearing a crossroads in Heisterkamp when it encountered larger, more powerful German tanks that unloaded their munitions on the smaller Sherman tank. Jay and four other members of his tank unit were killed.

Tesmond remembers the day as if it were yesterday. He was an impressionable 11-year-old boy when Jay was killed.

Until then, Tesmond's world revolved around his two big brothers: Jay and Bob.

Jay, older by a couple years, was in the Army in Germany. Bob was in the Pacific as part of the Navy attached to the 5th Marines. Tesmond was living with his parents and a sister in a second-floor apartment in Chicago's West Englewood community when he remembers his mom receiving a telegram about Jay.
Lingering loss Jay's death still bothers Tesmond.

"It still hurts. I still miss him," Tesmond said. "He was my big brother, and I was so proud of him. I was proud of my brother, Bob, too. But I was closer to Jay."

Several years ago, Tesmond wrote about his fond memories of his brother.

"Whenever he could, Jay took me to local baseball and football games," Tesmond wrote. "He always made sure I had some kind of treat, like an ice cream cone.

"I remember one time a bigger guy tried to give me a hard time. Boy, did Jay take care of him."

Tesmond said he remembers Jay "always bringing me something home when he'd be on leave. And whenever he wrote a letter to my mom and dad, he would write something to me and tell me what he was doing," he said. "I was so proud of the way he looked in his uniform. And I loved walking around the neighborhood with him."

Tesmond's memories of his older brother are as clear as if they happened yesterday.

"I remember one time (Jay) came home in the middle of the night, and I woke up thinking it was time for school," he said. "I went in the bathroom and started washing my face. Jay came in, gave me a big hug and put me back to bed."

"Those are the things I remember about my big brother," Tesmond said. "Those are the things I've missed for the last 50 years."

Ellie