Final Salute

Billy Roger Jeffers, of Lakeland, Florida, a native of Ohio, and a former West Virginia resident, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Iwo Jima invasion, passed away Jan. 15, 2023. He was 96.

The son of Hugh R. and Edna Mae (Finley) Jeffers, he was born Aug. 6, 1926, in Chambersburg, (Gallia County). In 1944, at age 17, Billy graduated as valedictorian from Sardis High School in Monroe County. When he was in his 90s, he could still recite parts of the speech he proudly gave: “Kind friends, on behalf of the class of 1944, I wish you welcome….” He later chuckled, “I’d never made a speech in my life…I probably talked so fast that no one could understand me.”

Earlier that school year, Billy enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and the very morning after his graduation he left on a bus heading to basic training to begin his service to our country. He participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima as part of an amphibious Seabee unit. He remained on the island serving as a heavy equipment operator clearing the beaches and building a cemetery until his honorable discharge in 1946. His unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, described by the U.S. Secretary of Navy as given to a unit for its “display of gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions” in such a way that the unit was “set apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign.” This unit-level citation requires the same degree of heroism that an individual must display to earn a Navy Cross.

Despite the victories on the island, which included his role in the very last banzai attack, stylistically, he was the silent type, rarely speaking of his tenure in the service. He never wanted to be a “professional veteran” who did nothing but reminisce. He did break this rule to occasionally make a reference to the quantity of canned Spam his mother lovingly sent to accompany the other canned food he and his comrades frequently ate. And somewhat recently, he confessed one doozy of a story that while stationed on the island, the adventurous lad he was simply could not resist the chance to be a stowaway on a plane heading to Japan. Billy arranged for someone to cover for him during the morning roll call, and through some amazing luck and grit, on this brief, unsanctioned sojourn, he personally witnessed the smoldering, skeletal remains of Hiroshima. He then shared a few coveted snapshots corroborating his tale.

In the years after the war, Billy worked as a surveyor for oil pipelines, and in other construction roles throughout the United States. Through his work, he made life-long friends. While on assignment in Massachusetts, he married the love of his life, Mary (Mason) Crothers in 1951. Together they raised her children, Howard Robert “Bob” Crothers and Edna Jane (Crothers) Hewitt in New Martinsville, West Virginia. In 1968, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Howard Robert Crothers lost his life while serving in the Vietnam War earning Billy and Mary the unenviable title of Gold-Star parents.

Billy was a lifelong student of history, politics, and the economy. He once pulled an “all-nighter” waiting in the rain to see President John F. Kennedy lie in state, and then left to immediately start another day’s work. Until the day of his death, he could recite with conviction the reasons why he supported or opposed most politicians, including every U.S. President, beginning with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a president for whom he was too young to cast a vote, all the way through Joe Biden. After his retirement, Billy was also known to sneak out of the house to go “for a drive”. This was code for skydiving, the chance to see some of Florida’s many lakes from the air. In the last year he was still scheming and trying to arrange for one last tandem dive that, to his deep disappointment, did not happen.

Billy and Mary traveled extensively, visiting every continent except Antarctica, which they viewed only from a distance due to a sudden weather change as they were ready to disembark. Together they witnessed the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger while walking on the beach. Memorable moments for them included having a private audience with Pope John Paul II, as well as hosting card games with friends. When Mary’s health declined, he was her devoted caregiver until her death in 2012.

Billy will be remembered for staunch independence, and he will be sorely missed.