Graham-Star_431689

By Kevin Hensley Sweetgum W hen you’re young, you feel invincible. And though George Poerner’s rst para - trooper leap proved to be a cold dose of reality, the 86-year-old Irvington, N.J. native has hardly slowed down. In fact, he just built a 14- foot canoe that he plans to sail on Lake Santeetlah in the not-so-distant future. “If I had to really do it, I could’ve probably knocked it out in maybe two months,” Poerner said with a smile. Sign me up! At the ripe age of 20, Poerner did what seemed to be the motivation of most young men in 1954: he enlisted for the draft. It did not take long for his number to be called. “About a month after I joined, they called me,” Poerner recalled. “I did my physical and they shipped me down to Fort Dix (about 16 miles south of Trenton, N.J.).” Poerner underwent ve months of basic training at the famed U.S. Army post, where he was later chosen as a squad leader. His stay at Fort Dix was extended to also include machine- gun training, which led to an incident where Poerner lost a large majority of his hearing, when a fellow trainee red a gun before Poerner could prepare himself for the sound. 82nd Airborne After a rare week off, Fort Dix was visited by a representative from the 82nd Airborne, based at Fort Bragg. Poerner remembers being impressed by his ap - pearance. “Sharp guy, looked good; all tailor-made Army uniform. I was gun-ho,” Poerner admitted. “He was looking for volunteers for paratroopers and naturally, I volunteered.” Anxious for a taste of action, Poerner traveled down the Eastern Seaboard to North Carolina two weeks later, to begin his training. Little did he know how quickly the wind would be taken out of his sails. First jump Intrigue quickly faded after Poerner arrived at Fort Bragg, as what he de - scribed as “pure misery” – three weeks of paratrooper training – began. “The rst day, 1,500 guys started. The second day, there was about 700 left. Before the training was over, it was down to 450,” Poerner said. Two weeks after arriving at Fort Bragg, Poerner and several other hopefuls took ight for their rst para - trooping exercise. The task was simple: a parachute landing out of a plane. Poerner noted the windy conditions of the day, but the exercise went on as planned. Leaping out on faith, Poerner sailed through the air and eyed the ground below. The parachute de - ployed. Everything seemed to be going to plan. And then … “I ended up back - wards. Both of my knees slammed into the ground and they bent the wrong way,” Poerner explained. “The second jump was supposed to be the next day. After all that training, I wasn’t getting kicked out and have to do it all over again.” True Grit Poerner had two guys carry him to the departure spot on the airstrip the next day, but a lightning storm canceled the jump. The third day, Poerner made the trek under his own power and made his second jump. Then his made his third. And his fourth, at night. The last one was a “Hollywood” jump, where paratroopers donned sunglasses and minimal equipment. Poerner took the plunge. It was later discovered that Poerner tore several muscles in his legs. He has since had a left knee replacement and the right one might need that same attention soon. But was it worth it? “I made my ve jumps,” Poerner proudly boasted. Just in case Poerner later served on the Honor Guard, but was never sent into combat. In the post-Korean War aftermath, Poerner and his peers would have to do a 4 a.m. exercise frequently, which would see the out t scramble to get dressed, head down to the airstrip, put on their parachute and … wait. Sometimes, the wait would be eight hours. But the dispatch was put in place to keep the soldiers on their toes. “This was a constant thing, for almost a year,” Poerner noted. Life after service Poerner jumped into the construction industry after being discharged in 1956, eventually starting his own business with a mere $450 in a savings account. His parents loaned him $1,000, to help him buy what he describes as “bare necessities” when it came to equipment. “It took a while to build (the company),” Poerner said. “The only problem I ever had was collecting money.” Growing weary of past- due accounts, Poerner opted to enter the restau - rant business in 1976. What started as a bar – a disco-tech in Atlantic City – morphed into a ve-star restaurant about 10 years later, which Poerner called “The Old Waterway Inn.” The spot later garnered positive reviews in The New York Post and Atlan- tic City Magazine . “They come in, they buy a meal, you get paid,” Poerner astutely noted. Blinded by love Before the paratroop - ing accident, construction and restaurants, there was Madeline. Paired together on a blind date when George was 18 and she was 15, it was love at rst sight. “On the way home, I said, ‘Well, this is the girl I’m going to marry,’” Poerner said. “We’ve been together ever since.” The duo were insepara - ble, sticking it out through George’s time with the 82nd Airborne. After returning to New Jersey, George and Madeline were married Oct. 21, 1956. Together, they have a son, George Gavin and a daughter, Patti. But despite all his ven - tures, George never stayed too far away from his dedication to the Armed Forces. He is a certi ed U.S. Coast Guard captain and began operating Big - gblue Charters along the East Coast in 1996. 2024 S alute to V eteranS Page 6B • The Graham Star Thursday, November 7, 2024 P rice of f reedom The Graham Star wishes to pay homage to Graham County residents that died in service, either in battle or while on active duty. In 2025, Salute to Veterans hopes to add a list of individuals who passed away from Agent Orange complications. The names below can be viewed in-person at the front entrance to the Graham County Courthouse. World War I James A. Eller Columbus Myers Carleton Randolph Carmel Rich Hardie Rogers Charlie Wake World War II Crate Anderson Bruce S. Bales Harold Z. Bateman Thomas Birch eld Thomas C. Bowman Sconley Cook Jacob Cornsilk Lloyd M. Crisp Dan Gladden Freelin Haney L.V. Hooper Marshall Hyde Colvin Lambert Bart J. Jones Lloyd R. Orr Dee Owenby Cyrus Patterson Dave B. Phillips John W. Scott, Jr. Lacy Slaughter Ray Stiles David S. Ward Herbert Webster Edward Wiggins Audie Wilcox Vietnam Tom Hooper Active Duty Clyde Collard Beverley Sue Cooper Vicki Diane Culp John F. Daniels David M. Orr Woodrow Teesateskie 828.479.3387 • 828.361.7840 828.479.3387 • 828.361.7840 Repair • Maintenance • Installation Residential • Commercial Service Plans Eddie Stiles, Owner/Operator George Poerner : Soldier, entrepreneur, canoeist