Jackson, 66, has served as the national chairman of Operation Welcome Home since 2004.
He has published three books, including a memoir about his experiences in Vietnam.
“I try to take care of my fellow veterans,” Jackson said. “I wrote a book with Tara Engel in 2004 that was homage to veterans. We thought it would be neat to welcome home all the Vietnam veterans. We organized an event in Las Vegas with Aviation Nation. We have done four national Welcome Homes, coupled with a local organization, and about 50 local events.”
Jackson retired in 1991. He was inducted in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 1997. He also earned a Purple Heart for his actions in Vietnam.
“My career was supposed to be five years; I was going to go in and get out,” Jackson said. “I absolutely loved the military. If you’re interested in it, pursue it.”
Favorite memory of your hometown: "Growing up everybody knew everybody. You always felt very safe because everybody knew you, but by the same token if you ever did anything wrong your parents knew about it before you got home."
Branch of service, rank, years in service: U.S. Air Force, Lt. Col., 23 years of service
How person got involved in the military: “I went to Ohio University with every intention of becoming a schoolteacher. The teacher I was under was teaching about all these wonderful places across the world, so I thought I would apply for pilot training before I started teaching. I really loved the Air Force and loved flying, and stayed in for 23 years.”
What actions he performed: "I think we moved 14 times so I had a number of jobs. I flew all kinds of airplanes. I also had a number of nonflying jobs; I was head of the ROTC program at Wright State at one point."
Most satisfying part about the person's work: "Flying obviously was something that not everyone gets to do. I though it was fascinating. I also really enjoyed working with the officers at officer training school."
Most memorable moment of service: "Vietnam stands out. That led into some of the things I did after I got out of the Air Force. My struggles in pilot training also stand out. I have a lot of good memories about the people I served with."
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