Gerard Zinser

Gerard Emil Zinser (31 May 1918 – 21 August 2001)^[1] was an American World War II veteran who served in the United States Navy and was the last surviving crew member of the patrol torpedo boat PT-109, commanded by then-Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy.^[2]

During World War II, Zinser served as a Motor Machinist's Mate First Class aboard patrol torpedo boat PT-109, a fast patrol vessel that operated in the Pacific Theater. PT-109 was part of a squadron of PT boats engaged in patrol and torpedo attacks against Japanese shipping and naval forces. On the night of 1–2 August 1943, PT-109 was rammed and cut in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri near Blackett Strait in the Solomon Islands. The collision killed two crew members and sank the boat. The remaining crew, including Zinser, Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy, and other sailors, were thrown into the water.^[1][2]

Despite injuries and dangerous conditions, Kennedy and the crew swam for several miles to nearby islands. The survivors endured days on remote islands before they were rescued with the help of Solomon Islander scouts. Zinser and the other crew members survived what became one of the most famous naval escape and survival stories of World War II.^[1]

After the war, Zinser remained in the Navy for a career, eventually retiring as a chief petty officer.^[2] In his later years, he was recognized for his role in the PT-109 incident, which was widely publicized and later portrayed in books and the 1963 film PT 109.^[3]

Zinser died of complications from Alzheimer's disease on 21 August 2001 in Orange Park, Florida, at the age of 82. At the time of his death, he was widely reported as the last surviving crew member of PT-109, closing the direct living link among the veterans who had served on the boat.^[1][3]