CSM (R) Jerry Jacobitz

CSM (R) Jerry Jacobitz sat down with me for Heroes Live. Jake. Jerry. The Legend. Ninety-nine minutes.

Born in South Sioux City, Iowa. Moved shortly after to Henderson, Nebraska. Town of about a thousand. Graduating class of twenty-four. Mennonite country. He grew up poor. Lived by the bridge over the Missouri. His people never had two dimes to rub together. Not cruel. Just broke.

Stinger team chief. Gunner. Helper. A teammate so you could both do the thing. When you retire you look around and the helpers are gone. Sixteen-year-old son now. Best battle buddy is his wife. Room inspections every morning, he jokes. One hundred percent of his love, because a command sergeant major with no soldiers still has a boy in the house.

Korea. The ceremonial guidon packed in household goods never made it home. He wanted his with the stick, not framed on a wall. 108th Brigade moved from Bliss to Bragg and 3-4 came under that flag. He said he was the most loved man in the battalion for about a minute.

A commander told him if all you are going to do is be negative, get out. If you want to make it better, reenlist. Stop talking about something I love. That made sense. He stayed. He made it better.

He had a soldier commit suicide when he was a first sergeant. He still looks inward. Thank you, Sergeant Major. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.