The Jerry Yellin Resilient Warrior Fund
The David Lynch Foundation is proud to announce the establishment of the Jerry Yellin Resilient Warrior Fund, which has been launched in honor of one of America’s greatest warrior pilots during World War II and, after he completed his service, one of America’s greatest warriors for peace. The Jerry Yellin Fund raises money to teach veterans Transcendental Meditation at no charge. Jerry Yellin (1924-2017) was a distinguished US Army Air Forces P-51 fighter pilot who is credited with flying the final combat mission of World War II over Tokyo on August 14, 1945.
Jerry enlisted into the Army Air Force on his 18th birthday in 1942. His fighter squadron landed on Iwo Jima on March 7, 1945, and Jerry flew combat missions supporting the Marines fighting on the island. After the island was secured, Jerry flew 19 dangerous very long-range missions from Iwo Jima escorting B-29s attacking Japan. On the final aerial combat mission, Jerry’s wingman was killed after the war had been declared over while Jerry and his squadron were in flight.
Upon his return from service, Jerry suffered for years with post-traumatic stress (PTS), which was not officially recognized as a medical problem until 1980. In 1975, he learned Transcendental Meditation, which greatly relieved his symptoms. For the rest of his life, he worked tirelessly to help fellow veterans overcome their trauma by learning TM. In addition, the marriage of Jerry’s youngest son to the daughter of a Japanese kamikaze pilot took Jerry from “hatred to love” and he traveled widely talking of peace and reconciliation.
“I had to deal with PTS myself for decades after the war,” Jerry said. “I am now doing what I can to help today’s generation of returning veterans in the hope that they will be better able to cope with this potentially debilitating condition so that they will be able to lead productive and fulfilling lives.”
Your contributions to the Jerry Yellin Resilient Warrior Fund will provide this simple, evidence-based tool to help our veterans heal from the nightmare of PTS. In the name of Jerry and all of America’s veterans, please give by clicking here.