Historical Foundation Offers Help; Honors Deceased

Nathan Jordan reviewed a brief history of Jordan soldiers back to the Revolutionary War, and told the crowd gathered for the Jasper County Historical Foundation meeting Saturday how they could research their ancestors.

After hitting the highlights of service in the Revolutionary War, Creek War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, and his service in the Afghanistan War ending with service in Enduring Freedom with Memorial Day approaching, Mr. Jordan remembered the four soldiers with Jasper County ties who lost their lives in Vietnam.

He had two special presentations for the families who remain here of two soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam. Mr. Jordan had collected the medals the men earned, and put them in a shadow box frame for the families.

The first soldier he named was Larry R. Carter, who died August 31, 1970. He presented the Carter family with the medals their brother earned. Larry was the oldest of six children, and his siblings John, Doris, and Stanley, as well as Stanley Carter Jr., and his daughter, Mahkayla were on hand to receive the frame.
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Mr. Jordan posed for a photo with the Carters. They are (clockwise from left of John, holding medals) Mahkayla, Stanley Carter, Jr., Nathan Jordan, Stanley Carter, and Doris Carter.

The next family that received was that of Roy Lee Howard who died march 23, 1969. He was promoted posthumously. His cousins Carrie Wells, Laverne Howard, Eddie Howard, Mary Howard, Albert Howard and Elbert Howard were on hand for the honor, and also had their photo made with Mr. Jordan.

Two other Jasper County soldiers lost their lives in Vietnam—Michael Edgar McPeters and Albert Lee Brown, neither of whom has any family left here.

Mr. Jordan said one way to research Vietnam soldiers is with the VirtualWall.org, which lists casualties bty and by town. Mr. Jordan provided a handout to interested persons on where to look to research family members from past battles.

During his presentation, Mr. Jordan gave anecdotal examples of life during the time period. For example, in researching his family, “From Germantown to Kabul: A Jasper County Family’s Military Stores,” he learned that a colonel in the Revolutionary war made about $300 a year. He told those gathered that during the Creek War there were 52 mounted cavalry members from Jasper County.

He talked about a gathering on the Monticello Square on April 26, 1961 before many of the local men went off to fight in the Civil War.

Mr. Jordan told how to cross-reference items between sources to learn more about individuals and perhaps the battle in which they fought and such. He talked about how the draft began in June 1917, and all males ages 21-31 were told to register. Then, the following May, all males 18-45 were instructed to register for the draft.

He said that a fire in 1973 burned many of the Army records from World War I, but offered other ways to locate information.
Mr. Jordan is the son of Jimmy and Mary Lou Jordan, and a 1994 graduate of Jasper County High School. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and received a degree in history. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an Armor officer, and served five years on active duty, completing his service commitment with the rank of captain.

In 2006 he was called back to active duty and completed a 12-month combat tour in Afghanistan where he was awarded the Combat Action Badge, and the Bronze Star medal. Mr. Jordan currently works as an archives technician at the National Archives in Atlanta. In August, he will complete his master’s degree in public history at Georgia State University, where he was recently awarded the Margaret Ewing Endowment for Oral and Family Histories. He and his wife, Heather, live in Atlanta.

Many artifacts, as well as the shadow boxes, are on display at the Visitor’s Center on the Square where they will remain throughout the month. In addition, one window at the center showcases the exhibit.