He had already selected his life’s path and planned to march down it in a Marine Corps uniform, said his sister, Tammy Davis, 37, of Virginia Beach.
On Saturday, he was serving in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device. The Pentagon announced Sunday that the 34-year-old technical sergeant died from wounds suffered in that blast, near Sperwan Ghar.
“The whole draw was to serve his country,” Davis said Sunday night. “For the last two years of high school, he knew he wanted to go in the service.”
In e-mails home during his deployments, Jefferson had said he could see improvement over time.
“He talked about the differences he saw,” Davis said, “that everyone was making things better. He definitely believed that he should be there and that the U.S. was doing the right thing. He fully supported it 100 percent.”
He was to have returned stateside in 30 days, Davis said.
Jefferson had settled on the Marine Corps “because they said he could get into sky-diving school and scuba school,” Davis said.
He spent four years in the Corps. But even as he grew into a good warrior, he also realized he wanted to be a good husband, she said.
“He had decided he wanted to marry his high school sweetheart,” Davis said, “but he realized that in the Marine Corps, he was gone way too much.”
So Jefferson traded his uniform, donning Air Force blues, determined to serve and have a family.
He had earned his bachelor’s degree and was working toward his master’s, his sister said.
“He wanted to teach high school. He was leaning toward history or government.”
She said he had settled on that as his next profession “because he thought that kids at that age need direction to pick the right path.”
Jefferson “just thought he could help kids,” she said.
He and his wife Kristy – his high school sweetheart, from Virginia Beach – would have marked their 15th anniversary in May.
Their second child, a daughter to be named Natalie, is due in May. Their daughter, Tyler, turned 8 two weeks ago, Davis said.
The family has been living in Fayetteville, N.C.
Jefferson’s parents live in Hampton Roads, in Norfolk.
“Everybody loved him,” Davis said. “It didn’t matter who he met, he just attracted people. He had a great sense of humor, just a big kid.”
She said the family also has learned he was respected. They have spoken with other men in his unit who said he was “a mentor, a great leader.”
“Just tell people how proud we are of him,” Davis said.
“He was doing his job. He was doing what he thought was right,” she said.
BAGRAM AIRBASE, Afghanistan (Courtesy of CJTF-82 Public Affairs, Apr. 2, 2008) – Early Thursday morning the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan honored two fallen comrades in a memorial ceremony.
“Bill Neil and Will Jefferson were decent men they were honest, passionate, fun to be with,” said one team member. “They loved life and they loved their families.
Neil was a Special Forces soldier with C, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Fort Bragg, NC. He was a dedicated soldier who served in both the Army and Navy. He took a break in service to work on Wall Street but traded in his suits for a Green Beret. Jefferson was a combat controller assigned to 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, NC. Prior to enduring the rigors of the Combat Control School, Jefferson served as a Force Recon Marine.
Both men distinguished themselves apart from the typical service member by volunteering for special assignments and special duties.
BAGRAM AIRBASE, Afghanistan-A Special Forces Team, from Fort Bragg, pays respects to two of their fallen comrades Staff Sgt. William Neil, Special Forces engineer and Tech. Sgt. William Jefferson Jr and Air Force Combat Controller. Both died in combat March 22, 2008 while conducting combat operation near Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan.
In addition to remembering the fallen for the lives they lived they tried to answer questions and bring comfort to each other. “Will (Jefferson) believed in trying to teach us his job, just in case the worst should happen, he wanted his team to be prepared for anything and he made sure we were,” the engineer said. “But some things you can never prepare for. Like hearing that you have just lost a good friend who you were joking with just 30 minutes before is impossible to prepare for.” “His life was not a loss but a fulfillment. A fulfillment of God’s work,” said one team member, about Neil. “To their families those actions are merely the latest in a lifetime of devotion to others,” said Ashley.
3/26/2008 - POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Tech. Sgt. William Jefferson Jr., 21st Special Tactics Squadron, died March 22 near Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sergeant Jefferson died from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He began his military career as a Marine in 1992, enlisting for four years following high school before enlisting in the Air Force in 1996. In 1996, Sergeant Jefferson was stationed at Pope with the 21st STS after completing the Combat Control pipeline. He spent almost five years as part of silver team before moving into a highly coveted position in the Squadron's Integrated Survey Program office. After two years in the office as an expert surveyor, he was chosen to become an instructor at the Combat Control School at Pope. His performance there fostered a new crop of young and aspiring Airmen, which significantly contributed to the increase in number of Combat Control training graduates.
Sergeant Jefferson returned to the 21st STS in 2006, serving in the operations staff as head of exercise and plans responsible for all Joint Force Entry Exercises. He then deployed in October 2006 in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. In September 2007, Sergeant Jefferson received distinguish graduate honors from the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. He deployed again in January 2008, this time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, as part of a unit conducting operations in Afghanistan. In his career, Sergeant Jefferson received the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart, Air Force Commendation Medal with Valor, Air Force Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
Love and prayers to all of you, Linda Crate Mother of Casey Crate USAF 23rd STS Hurlburt Field, FL. KIA-Iraq Memorial Day 2005
"In Memory of TSgt William H. Jefferson, Jr. KIA: 22 March 2008, Afghanistan." At the dedication ceremony, the placard was presented to Colonel Cannady again to be hand-carried to Camp Jefferson and illuminated in front of the flagpole that immortalizes a fallen American hero.
Sergeant Jefferson, you are not forgotten.........
Honoring the fallen August 22, 2014
by Airman 1st Class Chip Slack 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
“Will Jefferson was a dedicated and competent warrior, who believed deeply in the mission he was conducting,” remembers the Silver Team Leader of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron. “He adeptly showcased his skills as the consummate force multiplier on the battlefield, raining air and space power down on our nation’s enemies. His legacy is that of a family man who deeply loved his country, his job and his teammates.”
Tech. Sgt. William Jefferson Jr., a Combat Controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, made the ultimate sacrifice for his country March 22, 2008.
As the vast New Mexico sky began to show its first signs of daybreak, members of the 26th STS loaded into the back of a truck and made a silent trek across the flightline at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, Aug. 5. There was a noticeable buzz of emotion as the Air Commandos reached their destination: a 30 foot steel flagpole hand-delivered from Afghanistan.
On the count of three, the flagpole was hoisted onto the backs of the dedicated squadron members and, with a collective effort, they began the journey back to their hangar. This seemingly ordinary object is dedicated to Jefferson and once it reaches its final resting place, will be erected in his honor, as well as the many others who have given their lives for their country.
With each step, as the strain of the flagpole began to bear its burden, the dedicated airmen not only kept going, but they began to run, motivated by loyalty and respect for their fallen comrades.
“Today, we simply wanted to say that we won’t forget their sacrifice,” said the Silver Team Leader. “We won’t forget what they stood for, and that the families of special tactics warriors remain strong by remembering the best of us who are no longer with us.”