In Memoriam: Sergeant William Jasper

Sergeant Jasper Monument, Savannah GA

Wherever you stand on the issue of war, take a moment to remember the fallen Americans that died in conflicts both just and questionable. Regardless of the situations, these men and women were someone's son or daughter, father or mother, wife or husband, boyfriend or girlfriend, best friend or favorite student. They were the customer that the clerk enjoyed greeting every day and the person that helped them change a flat in the rain. Their loss left an emptiness in the lives of those that cherished them. These were people, like you and me, and they were sent off into awful circumstances, never to return to their homes.

The human potential lost in warfare must give us pause to remember what we fight for and the hope to end all war, forever.

On this Memorial Day, please take the time to read the story of Sergeant William Jasper, a man of humble origins whose determination and bravery helped change the world.

Jasper's actions at Fort Moultrie earned him the confidence of his commander. With Moultrie's blessing, Jasper led a series of daring, small guerrilla raids on British forces in coastal Georgia during the period between 1776 and 1779. As Moultrie later recalled in his Memoirs of the American Revolution, "I had such confidence in [Jasper] that when I was in the field I gave him a roving commission and liberty to pick out his men from my brigade. He seldom would take more than six; he went out often and would return with prisoners before I knew he was gone."

Peace, out.

(note to my international readers: Thank you for your indulgence. We'll be back to our usual Uncertainty presently.)