07/04/2026
Honoring Our Roots: America 250 and the Legacy of Our Founders
Today marks a truly historic milestone: the semiquincentennial, celebrating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Across the country, communities are coming together to reflect on the American journey—one built on grit, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to service.
As we look at the bigger picture of our nation’s history, we don’t have to look very far to find that exact same spirit right here at J&M.
Our company was built on a foundation of service, led by our founders, Jerome and Maurice. Before they were the entrepreneurial minds behind J&M, they were young men in uniform, answering the call to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.
Maurice enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1949, serving as a dedicated Medic during the crucial years of the Korean War until his honorable discharge in 1953. Though his vital role kept him stationed stateside rather than overseas, his dedication to helping others laid the very groundwork for the care and service we prioritize today.
In the Skies of WWII: Jerry’s Story
Jerry served our country from February 25th, 1943, until October 25th, 1945, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. His military journey began with specialized training at a number of schools across Florida, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts, where he qualified as both an assistant engineer and a ball turret gunner. Once deployed, he served aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber named the “Floogie Boo” (Serial Number 44-40441). Jerry’s operational journey took him across the European theater. He initially deployed to the UK with the Eighth Air Force (serving in the 493rd and 34th Bomb Groups) before Floogie Boo was transferred to the Mediterranean Theater. There, Jerry flew with the 376th Bomb Group (513th Bomb Squadron) out of San Pancrazio Airfield in southern Italy, flying under the combat call sign Recall Code #40.
Flying missions over Europe and the Mediterranean in a B-24 was an extremely difficult job. Crew members faced freezing temperatures at high altitudes, sometimes as cold as -50°F. Jerry’s bomb group would take heavy anti-aircraft fire and relentless enemy fighters as they flew 20 grueling missions (or bomb runs) over Europe. Their targets included strategic railroad yards, airfields, oil refineries, factories of war, bridges, tunnels, and roads.
In his role as assistant engineer, Jerry worked alongside the chief engineer to keep the aircraft flight-ready at all costs. But from his station as a ball turret gunner, confined to a loud, cramped sphere suspended beneath the fuselage, his sole mission was to defend his 10-man crew from enemy fire. Gunners did not wear parachutes inside the turret; the parachute was stored inside the main fuselage, and Jerry only wore a harness.
Jerry’s resilience was tested to the absolute limit, as he survived being shot down twice. On one of their earlier missions, the plane lost three of its four engines due to heavy anti-aircraft gunfire. Forced to crash-land in enemy territory in Yugoslavia, Jerry and his crew were aided by local Yugoslav partisans, who helped them walk back to safety. They were eventually picked up by a C-47 transport plane and safely returned to their station in southern Italy.
His second survival story was even more harrowing. On the morning of February 17th, 1945, Floogie Boo took off on a dangerous combat mission to bomb a heavily fortified N**i tank factory in St. Valentin, Austria. On the return flight back to Italy, the bomber suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, and multiple engines went completely dead.
The heavy aircraft began losing altitude rapidly, struggling to stay airborne. They were less than five miles from their home base at San Pancrazio when it became clear the bomber was going to crash.
In a profound act of heroism, the pilot, 1st Lieutenant Reid Grover Parks, held the controls steady, fighting the falling aircraft to keep it stable just long enough for Jerry and most of the crew to safely bail out. Jerry and his crewmates survived the parachute escape, but 1st Lt. Parks tragically went down with the plane along with 2nd Lt. Robert D. Drennan, the navigator. 1st Lt. Parks and 2nd Lt. Drennan made the ultimate sacrifice so their crew could live.
