Gerald Zinser from Belleville, Illinois served on the cruisers Cincinnati CL-6 and Trenton CL-11. He was twenty five when he came aboard PT-109 as a replacement for Leon Drawdy in August of 1943. He was burned on his arms and chest in the collision. He was the last survivor from the PT-109 when he died of Alzheimer's disease on August 21, 2001 in Florida. He left behind eight children, twenty four grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. His body was cremated and his ashes are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.