Lieutenant Colonel
The Silver Star
Paul E. Jackson was born in Elevenpoint, Arkansas, 30 January 1932. He graduated from Arkansas State in 1955 with a B.S. in animal husbandry and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Second Lieutenant Jackson rapidly rose in rank, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1975. By which time, he had completed over six years of overseas duty, including two tours to Vietnam and Germany and one tour in Korea. After retiring from the military, he worked as a helicopter instructor pilot at Fort Rucker, Alabama for ten years. Lieutenant Colonel Jackson also acquired an MBA from Troy State University, Troy, Alabama and attended Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. During his illustrious career, he received numerous awards and decorations, including two Bronze Star Medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. For gallantry in combat, military action, he was awarded the Silver Star. Now fully retired, Lieutenant Colonel Jackson lives in Panama City, Florida and enjoys deep sea fishing.
On 12 May 1968, while commanding the 176th Aviation Company, he was cited for leading his aircraft on a hazardous ammunition resupply mission to a Special Forces Camp under heavy attack and threatened to be overrun. Receiving the request for ammunition to bolster the camp’s defenses so it could hold out until evacuation ships arrived, (the then) Major Jackson dauntlessly led his armed and unarmed helicopters into the intense battle area. Although exploding mortar rounds and intense machinegun fire saturated the area, Major Jackson courageously landed his aircraft to deliver the ammunition and carry out the wounded. “His heroic action resulted in the camp being able to continue its defense and the eventual evacuation of over 1,700 American and allied troops from under the guns of a fiercely determined enemy.”
