Gerald G. Schreck, DDS
Korean War & Vietnam War
Gerald “Doc” Schreck was born in Templeton on September 6, 1931, to Louis and Clara (Heithoff) Schreck. He attended school in Templeton and graduated with the Sacred Heart High School class of 1949. In the fall of 1949, Doc enrolled in Creighton University on a pre-dentistry track.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, and, on March 28, 1951, Doc left Creighton and enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served as an enlisted airman at Denver, CO until April, 1952, when he joined the Air Force Air Cadet Program at Greenville, MS.
On May 1, 1953, Doc was awarded his pilot’s wings and was promoted to Second Lieutenant. He then was assigned to Goose Air Base in Labrador, Canada. He was a member of the 54th Air Rescue Squadron which performed search and rescue missions in the waters off Labrador and Greenland. They also performed medical and supply drops to remote areas. Doc’s job was as a pilot of SC-47 aircraft, a C-47 (civilian DC-3) equipped for Search Air Rescue.
After a year of duty, Doc was returned to the United States and assigned to James Connally Air Force Base in Waco, TX and was promoted to First Lieutenant. On December 27, 1954, Doc was married to Doris Christensen at Sacred Heart Church in Manning. Doris was a 1954 graduate of Manning High School. The couple resided in Waco, TX until February 2, 1956, when Doc left the US Air Force.
Doc returned to Creighton University to complete his degree and then entered the Creighton Dental School. He graduated from the School of Dentistry on June 6, 1962 and then joined a private practice in Carroll.
On January 2, 1965, Doc returned to active service by joining the United States Army Dental Corps as a career officer. He entered the US Army as a Captain. He practiced as a dentist at various Army facilities including in Vietnam during 1967-1968. The Army sent him to the University of Missouri-Kansas City for specialty training in orthodontics from 1971 to 1973. Doc practiced as an orthodontist at numerous Army facilities including South Korea in 1977-1979. On January 4, 1980, he was promoted to full Colonel. Doc retired from the US Army as a Colonel in September, 1982. His career included service at Fort Rucker, AL, Fort Sill, OK and Fort Leavenworth, KS.
Doc and Doris returned to Templeton in retirement. Doc died at home in Templeton on January 30, 2020 at age 88. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.