Leland American Legion Post 68 honors John E. Jacobs by ensuring he is and will be always remembered. He was a citizen of Leland who stepped up and served his country, paying the ultimate price for freedom. That is why the area veterans have named Post 68 after Jacobs. Post Commander Hacker stated, “John would have been 75 years old this year, yet he still inspires us, and we want to ensure that the community that raised this wonderful young man will always remember his sacrifice.”
Private Jacobs was the only servicemember from Leland, N.C., listed as a casualty in the Vietnam War. He was a U.S. Army infantryman. John’s parents, John and Mildred Jacobs of Hooper Road, and his sister, Rev. Martha Jacobs, have given consent and are honored that we are paying tribute to John’s sacrifice in this manner. Rev. Jacobs said, “Our loved one, a soldier, never dies as long as he is remembered. God does everything for a reason; the solemnity of Post 68’s action is heartwarming. The family’s gratitude is beyond any words that we can express.”
John was born in Leland on Dec. 4, 1947. He was a 1967 graduate of what was formerly known as Lincoln High School and was a devout member of Hooper’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. John was drafted into the Army in March 1968. Following training, he was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division as a combat infantryman and departed for Vietnam in September of that same year. While on patrol in Quang Tri province, South Vietnam, on Oct. 1, 1968, his unit was ambushed, and Pfc. John Edwin Jacobs was killed by small-arms fire. While his time in service was brief, he gallantly served our nation. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and was laid to rest in his family’s private cemetery, where a memorial now marks the resting place of their hero. He was also awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
On a July 4, 2005, Town of Leland ceremony honoring Jacobs, his nephew, Command Sgt. Major Charles Holliday Sr., said “He was my mentor. He was someone I looked up to. Today, I am an American soldier because of Private 1st Class John Edwin Jacobs."
John E. Jacobs American Legion Post 68 is one of the fastest-growing posts in the state of North Carolina and will continue to honor Pfc. Jacobs.