Posted here with the kind permission of his grandson, Casey Moton.
My Grandfather, Captain William Gerard Leischner, USN (Ret.): 15 August 1917 – 1 November 1996.
My grandfather, known to others as Jerry and to us in the family as Grandpa, died November 1st 1996, All Saints Day, after a month long illness with cancer.
Grandpa was a 31 year veteran of the U.S. Navy, starting his career as an enlisted man, and then becoming an officer. He retired in June of 1967 as a Captain (O-6).
His service included duty in the Pacific onboard the USS SANTEE in the Pacific during World War II. He married my Grandmother, Doris Leischner, in August of 1941. Together they had seven children: Jerry, Stephen, Chris, Margaret (my mother), Mark, Veronica, and Peter. Peter preceded my grandfather in death in 1976. Also surviving are 21 grandchildren!
Grandpa was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on November 13th. My grandfather was truly a wonderful person who meant very much to me and my whole family. We will all miss him more than we could possibly say. – Casey
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard