My Story about Major Jerbo

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: J. Rodney Chesson <karrodches@cox.net>Date: Jun 16, 2008 2:07 PMSubject: Re: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!To: OnLiberianMedium@yahoogroups.com
Now Celia, you are beginning to sound like someone who I can converse with and relate to.

What has happened in Liberia cannot be turned around. So we have to move on as a people and nation. We should not forget our past or else we will be bound to repeat it. However, we cannot carry it on our foreheads and before our eyes or else we would be and remain blinded by our own failures and/or mistakes.

I can appreciate the fact that all was not right in Liberia. But we cannot continue to dwell on that. What we have to do is to ensure that many of the ills that occurred in Liberia and towards our people do not happen again. We cannot allow bitterness and hatred to cloud our thinking and judgment. We have to pray that Almighty God will free us from all fears and things that will cause us to harbor any kind of animosity and/or hatred towards each other.

My maternal grandmother, Jemima Kemp-Freeman was the daughter of Chief Kpana of the Gola Tribe. So we all have traditional roots, and are more one people than we realize.

But in order for Liberia to rise again, we have to be a collective force that will work together sincerely and honestly to restore our nation and people to what and where we would like to see it before we die. We have to set the stage and lay the foundation for change and progress in Liberia and among Liberians.

ALUTA CONTINUA!



----- Original Message -----
From: CELIA BROWN
To: onliberianmedium@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 10:28 AM
Subject: RE: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!

Dear Mr. Chesson: Happy belated father's day!!! My goal was not to express hatred towards the congo people as I am also a decendent of a pioneer and my mother is Kru. I believe we both are talking about the same country that we both love. the late Vice president Green was a very close friend of my Grand Father, Captain Nyne Cuffy of Sinoe County, a prominent business man in that region.. I read your aritcle on front page Africa and I was very impressed by the sentiments you expressed about Liberian Professsionals getting involved with community activities. Just because I do not agreed with you on one subject does not mean that I will not agree with you on future topic. We both want a better society that we and our children can enjoy so, we are incline to talk about the ills of our society in order to improve ourselves. Again, Happy father's day!!! Celia Cuffy-Brown
To: OnLiberianMedium@yahoogroups.comFrom: karrodches@cox.netDate: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:35:02 -0400Subject: Re: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!
Wow! What kind of Congau man hurt you so you-girl? Was that because of love or money or what? Honey or sugar? Kanyen Pepper or black pepper?

Some kind of Congau man or Americo rubbed you the wrong way. You have demonstrated a type of inner hatred for other Liberians that could only be brought upon a person by some form of disappointment in life.

Even with your fully Americo/Congau name, you still are full of hatred against Congau/Americo Liberians.

So come clean with me Brown! Who was the Congau/Americo man who hurt you-so? Or someone close to you they hurt? That kind of hurt and hatred you are exhibiting has NOTHING to do with Liberia's problem. It is from deep down within you.

So tell me sweetheart, who was the Congau/Americo that hurt you so? Love is an unpredictable thing-eh!?


----- Original Message -----
From: CELIA BROWN
To: onliberianmedium@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 12:52 PM
Subject: RE: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!

Mr. Chesson: The days of "do you know who I am" are gone!!!! You thought you could silence me with your insults. Better yet if things were like before in Liberia, you would have ordered me to jail. HA HA HA HA HA HA. Don't come in the public Arena with your uppity-nobody-attitude. Come as an intellectual and I will put you in that category. Celia Cuffy-Brown
To: OnLiberianMedium@yahoogroups.comFrom: karrodches@cox.netDate: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:55:37 -0400Subject: Re: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!
I am a US Fighting Man - Special Forces! I am a loyal US Veteran who is still ready and willing to give my life in defense/protection of this country. So, where I get my info from you cannot and may never pass there.

In spite of my loyalty to America, my family and people are still Liberians. Anything that impacts Liberia, have a direct or indirect impact on me. If my people are suffering today because of what America did, that is politics and I have no fault with America along those lines. It was the duty of Tolbert to protect Liberia against its foreign and domestic enemies (friends or foe). So, I have no problem with America with regard to the political issue they had with Liberia.

What I do have a problem with is that the masses of Liberians cannot and must not continue to suffer because of Tolbert and his relationship with America. What was done is over with, now Liberia and Liberians must get immediate relief from their sufferings and hardships - no handouts and nickels and dimes.

1. America has a moral responsibility to speedily rebuilt Liberia for destroying it and/or initiating its destruction.

2. Just as America could use our people to overthrow our government, it also have a moral responsibility to ensure that every aid it provides Liberia is used towards alleviating the sufferings of our people. Corruption among government officials have to and must cease and/or desist. It is time for the Liberian people to live better lives and rebuild their lives and secure their livelihood.

As for the manner in which I communicated with Brown, is a result of the manner in which she insulted first. Calling me a coward? I have a problem with that. She was forthright of how she felt about me, I have the same right to be forthright to her about how I feel about her sentiments toward me. So, please give me a break!



----- Original Message -----
From: jal mar
To: OnLiberianMedium@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!

Rodney Chesson , I am sure your parents raise you better than this, you do not communicate with a LADY using that kind of language.Be a gentleman at all times. Besides you are not sticking to your original premise of the 1980 coup. Did Jerbo tell you that western nations were involved in this plot? Plus I have a hard time believing that he would tell the son of the Justice Minister this kind of information. With your description of how professional he was it would seem out of character.
----- Original Message ----From: J. Rodney Chesson <karrodches@cox.net>To: OnLiberianMedium@yahoogroups.comSent: Friday, June 13, 2008 10:12:06 AMSubject: Re: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!

First of all, you and I never had any agreement! Let's get that right from the start.

Secondly, you are correct, God did have a plan for Liberia and Liberians and no one could change that. Perhaps that is why over hundreds of thousands of Liberians were and are still being killed since 1980 - to cleanse Liberia.

Thirdly you do not know me. So, stop the foolishness about my guilt eating me up. If I am a coward then you are a deceitful and wretched fool! Why? Because from your name and your attempt to align yourself with our indigenous people, it is evident that you are an opportunist. You are Congau when it benefits you and Country if the shoe is on the other foot. If you are so Country then why is your name still Celia Cuffy-Brown - what could be more Congau than such a name?

I know that the truth hurts. But pray and sing some songs and get over it!

----- Original Message -----
From: CELIA BROWN
To: olm_adm04@yahoogrou ps.com ; OnLiberianMedium@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 10:48 AM
Subject: [OnLiberianMedium] RE: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!

Mr. Chess on Thanks for the information but I thought we agreed that we would be moving on. There is nothing you are telling me about jerbo that I don't know. One thing is for sure, after my last encounter with you this morning, I knew that your out burst since last Monday Morning was from guilt. The guilt of knowing the plan that you were a part of. The mind is a very power tool, not to be played with. I thought exactly that you knew about this coupe yourself and did nothing about it. Even if you had tried to stop it, you would have failed because the hardship that your kind was subjecting and perpetrating on the natives was cruel and inhumane. God had a plan. Just as he freed the Israelites through Moses, who did not get to see the promised land, so did he use William Jerbo whose greatest potential was not actualized. The guilt of what you know is eating you up and now you want to pass your guilt unto Foreign Nations. Go to the TRC and confess about the turmoil you and others caused the Liberian people. My mind is very powerful and can not, will never ever be gullible ever again by people like you who tried to aggrandize yourselves. My spirit can sense a guilty and deranged mind. Mr. Jerbo was a hero because, he could not easily be bought by cheap bribes of scraps from the so call elite so was Baccus and others. You Mr. Chesson is a coward. Mr. Chesson, a coward dies many times before his actual death. Go confess and leave us be. You, I believe are one of the disgruntle men that brought this hardship on Liberians. One thing I want you to know is, all things work together for good for those who love Christ and are called according to his purposes. William Jerbo is dead yet your cowardice kind will always talk about his love for country. Again, I will forever pledge my life to oppose your kind!!!!!!!! !!!! Celia Cuffy-Brown
To: ULIBSAAforum@ yahoogroups. com; OLM_Adm04@yahoogrou ps.com; OnLiberianMedium@ yahoogroups. comFrom: karrodches@cox. netDate: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:18:20 -0400Subject: [OLM_Adm04] My Story About Major Jerbo: Truth and Reconciliation!
Major Jerbo's detachment was assigned to the OAU site near Monrovia in 1979 during the OAU Summit. I worked with him and heard him mention in my and the presence of his men a coup plot.

The Major Jerbo that I got to know, love and befriended was a highly respected, very likeable (even by Tolbert), and apparently loyal Army officer. He was US trained and a real solider. He also mentioned, in the presence of others, his knowledge about a coup plot. They passed that info on to family members who were in high government positions, but none of the government officials ever believed that Jerbo had any such knowledge and/or plan, and dismissed any such report(s).

The reason I fell in love with Jerbo was because he was a disciplinarian (Soldiers were terrified of that guy. As I learned later from some of the soldiers that I knew, the soldiers, Doe included, who took over the mansion and "killed Tolbert" did not want for Jerbo to take over because if he had they would not have enjoyed what they had achieved. So in order to prevent his return and insistence on taking over, they declared him a rebel and went after him for the kill. But as I said, Jerbo was a real soldier; he knew how to live off of the land. That is why he made it so far as the border. I was sad when I learned of the way he died. I truly believe that he was either going to escape or die fighting.

Anyway, the first time I saw him was when I went to the NSA building on UN Drive to get my pass to enter the OAU site. Jerbo was also there with his detachment getting their passes. He was on one of the higher floors. As I walked up UN Drive from the bottom of the hill leading up to the building, I could hear the soldiers sounding so loud and unruly though I did not know then that they were soldiers. But when they came into view, I could not help but wonder how unruly and, apparently indiscipline they were (As a matter of fact, I also informed my father of that and how from their behaviors they were surely unprepared to stop any insurgency. Furthermore, on the 4 or 5 occasions I confronted him and officials of the police, army, and security forces about this, they told me that I was a kid and didn't know any better.). Then just as I entered the covering of the building, I heard a very strong and authoritative voice from the 2nd or 3rd floor through the cracks in the somewhat spiral stairway say, "what the fuck!" And then, there was total silence! You could have almost hear a pin if it had been dropped among the soldiers. I had never seen a Liberian man or woman demonstrative such a command over other people. It freaked me out! I fell in love with that man immediately! To me, he was a true manifestation of all of the qualities needed in a leader of our military and country.

I was a member of the Special Security Unit that protected the OAU site and its dignitaries. When Major Jerbo, then a captain, reported to our unit to present his detachment, I immediately walked up to him, introduced myself and asked if I could be his friend. From that day onward, I was inseparable from Major Jerbo on the job. Everywhere he went on that site I was with him. He also had a saying to those he befriended. He would always say, "My man, where's the palm wine or farina?" or something along those line. Even when he was killed trying to escape Doe I read the newspaper (footprints I think) report of how he was shot at the border by another soldier; they mentioned in the report about how he asked the soldier who shot him the same or similar question. That is how I knew then for sure that it was the same Jerbo that I knew. Anyway, to continue with my story, as I stated, I followed Jerbo everywhere on the job. I even went with him and his men on the beach behind the OAU site to eat cold-bowl on many occasions. And that was the very place that he made the statement regarding a plot to kill Liberian government officials. That was the last time that I ever followed him again. Apparently, I had been with him so much, he probably considered me one of his men and made the statement without think who I was. I stopped him immediately and asked him why he would want to do such a thing. He only hugged me and said, O you my peking, my man. Don't worry."

I can remember clearly also another event before he became major. I was in a room at Hotel Africa at the OAU site with my father and Burleigh Holder, then Minister of Defense, when my father started talking about Capt. Jerbo. Apparently, my father liked Capt. Jerbo very much as I did. He asked Burleigh Holder, "When are you going to promote Capt. Jerbo?" Holder then began to tell my father how loyal and dedicated Jerbo was and that something was in the works for him soon. I was so excited by their discussion until I left them right away and ran outside to tell Jerbo the news myself. When I got outside, he was right in front of the hotel alone in one of the security jeeps. I went up to him and told him that I was returning to school at CUC but that when I return for vacation again he would be a major. He smiled and said to me, "then when you return we will drink the palm wine!" We laughed together and that was the last I ever saw of Jerbo.