Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces

Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces
They call her The Colonel, and for good reason. Bernice Leavitt Jackson has presided over a lot of troops.

By SHAWN VESTAL
The Spokesman-Review

DAVENPORT, Wash. —
They call her The Colonel, and for good reason. Bernice Leavitt Jackson has presided over a lot of troops.

Jackson, a fast-talking Roman candle of memories who's "going on 80," has never served directly in the military. But her passion for honoring those who do comes from a deep well of personal contribution: Her husband served in the Army during World War II. Seven of her eight sons served, including David, an Army staff sergeant serving his second tour of duty in Baghdad. Their photos hang on the living room wall, surrounded by every variety of patriotic expression imaginable, from flags to personal letters of thanks from a member of Congress, governor and secretary of the Air Force.

All of which is to say nothing of her brother and brothers-in-law, who fought in some of the major battles of World War II. Or her father and uncles, who served in the First World War. Or her grandfather, who fought and died in the Civil War.
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Woman kept faith as 7 sons joined armed forces