Jerome H. Goetzinger
World War II
Jerome Goetzinger was born in Templeton on November 1, 1920, to Peter and Maria (Bewak) Goetzinger. Jerome began his schooling at Sacred Heart School. Peter died in 1932 and Maria later remarried. At that time, the family moved to Manilla and Jerome completed his education at Manilla High School.
When Jerome registered for the military draft, he was living in Los Angeles, CA and working for Decca Records Distributing Corporation. He was inducted into the US Navy on July 15, 1942, and assigned serial number 574-102. The location of his boot camp training is unclear but it would have typically been at the Recruit Depot at San Diego.
By November 6, 1943, Jerome’s training was complete and he was assigned as a part of the first crew of the USS Tacoma (PF-3). He had been promoted to S2c (seaman second class). This ship was classified as a patrol frigate and was designed for escort duty and anti-submarine operations. These ships were approximately 300 feet in length.
The USS Tacoma conducted its shakedown cruise off the California coast during December, 1943. In January, 1944, she reported for duty as a training ship. During the month of January, 1944, Jerome attended a swimming course for non-swimmers at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.
Jerome and the crew of the USS Tacoma continued training patrol frigate crews until June 27, 1944. They then were ordered to complete sea trials in anticipation of duty at Kodiak, Alaska. The sea trials proved difficult and included a boiler room fire. On September 19, 1944, Jerome was transferred to DCGO (District Coast Guard Officer) 12th Naval District. It is unclear if Jerome left the USS Tacoma at this time as the US Navy began using Coast Guard personnel as crew members.
Newspaper accounts indicated Jerome visited Manilla during November, 1944, before returning to duty in California. It is unclear exactly when Jerome was discharged from further military duty. Jerome married Leola Van Sickle (who had also attended Manilla High School) on August 31, 1945, at St. Thomas Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA. There is no indication Jerome was still in the US Navy at that time.
Jerome returned to Decca Records in Los Angeles until at least 1950. The family then returned to Iowa where he managed grocery stores in several locations. He ended his career as the dietician at the Iowa State Training School for Boys at Eldora. Jerome died at Waterloo, IA on November 9, 2010, at age 90. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.