Jerry M. Sage

Jerry M. Sage
Nickname(s)	"Cooler King" "Dagger"
Born	27 May 1917 British Columbia, Canada
Died	26 March 1993 (aged 75) Dothan, Alabama, US
Buried	Meadowlawn Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Office of the Coordinator of Information Office of Strategic Services
Rank	Colonel
Commands held	Commander, 10th Special Forces Group Instructor, West Point Military Academy Instructor, Reserve Officer Training Corps Staff Officer Pentagon
Battles/wars	World War II Cold War Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Legion of merit Distinguished member of the special forces regiment
Alma mater	State College of Washington, Phi Beta Kappa
Other work	University of South Carolina Assistant to the President High School teacher Teacher of the year

Jerome Michael Sage, who mostly went by the name Jerry M. Sage, was a Canadian-born American soldier, special forces operator, and spy, prisoner of war during World War II. He was notable for over 15 prison escape attempts leading to 15 sentences in solitary confinement, earning him the name "Cooler King," until his final successful escape. Sage was the inspiration for Steve McQueen's character in The Great Escape.^[1] Sage stayed in the Army and also fought in the Korean War and Vietnam War. ^[2] He is considered one of the fathers of United States Army Special Forces. ^[3] One of the phases of the schoolhouse for special operators at Fort Liberty, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, is named Robin Sage, partially in his memory. ^[4]