Sorrow marks anniversary of Jackson soldier's death

"We miss you, Sgt. Bob Davis."

"Welcome home, Cpl. Andrew Jackson."

Banners displayed in front of several Jackson businesses tell two kinds of war story -- one of heart-breaking grief over a fallen soldier; the other of immense relief of another's safe return.

Aug. 18 marked the one-year anniversary of the death of 23-year-old Sgt. Bob Davis, who was killed in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded under his Humvee, killing him and another Army soldier.

On July 28, Marine Cpl. Andrew Jackson, also 23, returned home to his family and friends in Jackson after seven months at Al Asad Air Base in northern Iraq.

Businesses such as Taco Bell, Koehler Bookkeeping and Jackson Tire marked the occurrences to show admiration and appreciation for their native sons.

"We wanted to honor them both," said Larry Koehler, past president of the American Legion and a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. "Sgt. Davis gave the supreme sacrifice in defense of our country. He did that for all of us. We also appreciate those who have been there and come home.

"These are our boys. Of course we wanted to do something."

Meanwhile, family members of both soldiers continue to grapple with what have been trying times.

"We were so afraid of what would happen," said Shelly Randol, Jackson's aunt. "It was so scary. It tears me up. This war is causing us heartache, and I think it's time for our boys to come home."

Jackson visited his hometown earlier this month before returning to duty at Cherry Point, N.C., where he works in computer repair.

Jackson's grandmother, Pat Randol, raised Jackson. She said her heart went out to the family of Davis.

"I cried for him, I cried for his parents," Randol said. "I didn't know him, but you have to feel for him. I'm a mother, and I don't believe in fighting or wars. These boys believed in what they were doing, but it just goes against what I believe."

The grief still anguishes Davis' family. His death left behind a wife, Mandy, and a 3 1/2-month-old son, Brayden Noah, who is nearly 17 months years old now. Davis got to meet his son on a brief furlough about a month before he died.

"We're all just trying to get through," said Davis' mother, Judy Oberts. "It's all we can do. It's not easy on any of us. It doesn't get any easier."

Davis' sister, Brenda, gets emotional when thinking about her brother. She hopes that people remember soldiers like Davis and admire their sacrifice, even as public sentiment for the war dwindles.

"He believes in what he was doing, and he would want them to finish what they started," Brenda Davis said. "I want people to remember what he died for."

But the one lesson she hopes people really learn has nothing to do with war or dying. It's about living.

"People shouldn't take life for granted," she said. "It could have been their son, their husband or brother. Don't waste what time you have with the people you love."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137