A Warrior, A Scholar, A Husband, A Friend

Uncle Pots passed away suddenly on October 29.  It stunned us all.  Sure, he's had health problems, but even Aunt Yone felt he was doing well.  It was devestating - not just to lose Uncle Pots but to watch Aunt Yone deal with the loss.  It's the loss of her world and my heart breaks for her.  I was able to go up not just for the funeral but for a few days before to spend with Aunt Yone and Uncle Donald, who had rushed there to be with her when he heard the news.  Dad's reaction was almost as quick as Uncle D; he was on a train within 6 hours of getting the news and arrived in Lakeland in time to drive to South Carolina with us.  I'm truly blessed with the men in my life.

I created a memorial plaque for Aunt Yone, and created a poem to recognize the exceptional person that my uncle was:

Fight the battle, win the war
As you did the time before
Down the path, open the gate
Into his arms, you won’t be late

You are precious in his sight
You are safe within his might
Ne’er more to have to roam
Now you wait for us at home

And the time will come I hear
When again we will be near
Until then we face our fight
Walking always to the light

His obituary appeared online and in the Columbia paper:
Rest in Peace: Funeral service for First Sgt. Henry Melville Jackson Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), 76, will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 2, 2010, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial with full military honors in Ft. Jackson National Cemetery. Visitation will precede the service at the funeral home, beginning at noon.

Mr. Jackson died October 28, 2010. Born October 8, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was a son of the late Henry M. Jackson Sr. and Gertrude Louise Cumpton Jackson. He retired as a First Sergeant from the U.S. Army, serving three tours in Vietnam. A former Green Beret, he was a life member of the Special Forces Association and the National Rifle Association. He had retired from the SWAT Team of the Columbia Police Department after 24 years service. Sgt. Jackson joined the Columbia Police Department in August 1973 as a patrolman. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1993 and once named “Outstanding Officer of the Year.” Sgt. Jackson played a vital role in the Special Operations group as primary instructor and technical officer for the police department’s SWAT Teams and Civil Disturbance Training. A true patriot, he loved his country and enjoyed wood and leather working. He was a loving husband of 43 years and a loving uncle who loved to spoil his great-nephews.

Surviving are his wife of 43 years, Yone O. Jackson; brother, Donald Jackson of Alabama; sister, Toni Hesson of Florida; sister, Ann Anderson of Alabama; sister, Laura Colquitt of Wisconsin; nephew, Butch Jackson (Susan), nephew Bill Jackson, great-niece Meredith and great-nephew Hunter; nieces Tania Ruiz (John), Nicole Hickey (Dana), and Lisa Roberts; great-nieces Tabatha and Trinity Roberts and great-nephews Trevor Roberts and Logan Hickey; niece Anna Schrock (Brian), great-nephew Christian and great-niece Trinity; nephew, Nobuo Yamashiro (Dawn); great-nieces and nephews, Amy, Ken, Chris and Kyle Yamashiro, all of Irmo.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 520 Gervais St., Suite 300, Columbia, SC 29201.