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Published Thursday, November 12, 2009 in Local

Col. Jackson recognizes valor of all veterans

By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

Col. Joe M. Jackson -- honored with a life-sized statue in his hometown -- turned the spotlight on all veterans and on Newnan itself.

His fellow Medal of Honor recipient, Maj. Stephen Pless, died in 1969. Kenneth Ray, Pless' cousin, talked about Pless and about his family's appreciation of the statues dedicated on Tuesday during Newnan's annual Veterans Day program.

"It's indeed appropriate that we honor the veterans here today," said Jackson, who was born in Newnan but now lives in Kent, Washington. "It was not the orator who guaranteed us freedom of speech. It was the soldier. It was not the poet who guaranteed us freedom of speech. It was the soldier. It was not the priest or the preacher who gave us freedom or religion. It was the soldier."

Jackson, who wore his Medal of Honor for the Newnan ceremonies, said it was members of the various branches of military service "who gave us the freedoms we have today, and you can't take that away from us."

Jackson recalled an encounter with a lieutenant during his first year in the service. The man asked where he was from, and he said he was from Atlanta. The lieutenant then asked him "what little town outside Atlanta" was really his home.

When he admitted he was from Newnan, the lieutenant surprised him by knowing about Newnan and telling him what a fine place it was. The exchange taught Jackson that Newnan is a special place.

He said he now tells people who ask where he is from that "Atlanta is a suburb of Newnan."

Jackson also related a story about Gov. Ellis Arnall, who was from Newnan, attending a business conference in San Francisco. Arnall met two sheep ranchers from Australia who asked him where he lived.

When Arnall said "Atlanta," one asked him, "Is that anywhere near Newnan?"

One of Newnan's main industries at that time was woolen mills. The Australians "shipped a lot of wool to Newnan," Jackson related. "They didn't ship any to Atlanta, so they didn't have any idea where it was."

About six months ago, Jackson sat for sculptors Mark Austin Byrd and Jenelle Armstrong Byrd. He remembered asking Jenelle Byrd, "Why don't you put a little more Clark Gable or a little more Rock Hudson?" He said she told him the goal was showing how he really looks.

"You ain't got no Clark Gable. You ain't got no Rock Hudson. You got reality," Jackson joked.

Ray said the statue dedication had turned out to be "kind of a family reunion." Relatives -- some who had not seen each other for 30 years -- gathered on the grass at the city park for the event.

Among those present was Travis Pless, the major's brother and a military veteran, and his sons, Michael and Matthew, and Matthew's wife, Andrea, and their two children.

A number of first cousins -- who knew the Medal of Honor hero as "Bubba" -- were also present. "Bubba was very special to us," Ray said.

"Before he became a hero to our country, he was my hero. He was a hero to all of us who loved him here today," he added.

"Steve was tragically killed three months before his 30th birthday," Ray said. He said Pless had lived two or three lives before his early death in a motorcycle accident. He had been in the Marine Corps for 10 years.

"If he were here today, he would tell you that he did not set out to be or become a hero. He was simply doing his duty as a Marine," Ray said.

Ray spoke of Pless' wife, JoAnn, and their children, Paul, Tina, Cindy and Steve -- the last born after the major's death. Pless "sacrificed time with his family" to stand in the breach for freedom, Ray said.

"He told me many times he came as close to court martial as he did to earning a medal. I'm sure that was true. He was always one to push the envelope," Ray said.

Rattling off a list of Pless' military honors, Ray said his cousin once joked he was going to win everything except "the Good Conduct Medal."

Ray remembered that at the Medal of Honor ceremonies at the White House, their grandmother, Eula Lassetter, was among those present. The medal honorees had been told to accept their awards and then stand silently until after the president left.

Pless, however, reached out and grasped Lyndon Johnson's arm. "I would like you to meet my grandmother," he said.

The president stopped to visit with Mrs. Lassetter. Pless "wanted his grandmother to have the opportunity of shaking hands with the president of the United States," Ray said. "I don't think she ever washed her hand after that."

Travis Pless and Ken Ray unveiled the statue of Stephen Pless, but only after Travis Pless exchanged a sharp salute with Joe Jackson. Jackson unveiled his own statue, and Scouts unveiled the sculptures of the children.

Especially happy to be in the audience on Wednesday were Madonna Bates and Sandy Kelly and her daughter, Michelle Kelly. The three are related to both Medal of Honor recipients.

Sandy Kelly explained that she and Bates are first cousins of Stephen Pless. Their grandmother and Effie Newman Jackson, Joe Jackson's mother, were also first cousins.

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