SGT Theodore Irvin Jackson: Age 95

SGT Theodore Irvin Jackson served four years in the U.S. military including two years on active duty in the Army and two years in the Army AL National Guard during the time of the Korean War. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Radar Operator.

SGT Jackson was born June 15, 1930 to his parents, Asa and Velma Jackson, in Walker Country, AL. He was reared in Walker, Jefferson, Montgomery and Crenshaw Counties, AL. He dropped out of high school when he was in the 10th grade and worked on his father's farm in Crenshaw County where the family raised and sold peanuts and vegetables.

SGT Jackson volunteered for military service at Luverne, AL, and began service September 1, 1950 with the AL National Guard. His unit was activated during the same week that he enlisted. He rode a train to north Georgia to Fort Gordon. It was a significant US Army installation playing a crucial role in training and preparing soldiers for the conflict during the Korean War. The inductees were tested to determine what area of service they would be assigned. SGT Jackson scored highly and was assigned to work with radar operations. He then spent seven months at Fort Stewart, GA, training in artillery and radar operations. He was assigned to work at Detroit, MI, for 15 months where artillery involving the 711th Brigade Support Battalion's four 90 mm guns and radar equipment were installed in case of need in defense of the Russians during the Cold War. While there, he also served in Kalamazoo, MI and in Minnesota, and the troops slept in tents. His military service commitment ended on September 1, 1954, and he was discharged at Ft. Rucker, AL.

After his military service ended, SGT Jackson used the G.I. Bill to attend college. He first began studies in pre-engineering, but he switched to education and graduated with a BS Degree in Secondary Education with emphasis in science from Troy State Teachers College which is now Troy University in March 1955. While there, he worked as the lab assistant for 1.5 years. After his graduation, he began teaching chemistry, junior high school mathematics, and biology at Monroe County High School, AL. Then he received a Master of Education Degree from Alabama Polytechnic Institute which is now Auburn University in 1956.

Russia launched Sputnik, the first Earth artificial satellite on October 7, 1957. Because of this, the U.S. Government was concerned that the youth in American were not being educated well enough in mathematics and sciences. SGT Jackson was sent to the University of Montevallo during the summers of 1958 and 1959 and to the University of Georgia to retrain in teaching high school mathematics and science. He then worked in Montgomery, AL, teaching mathematics and science courses at Floyd Junior High School for one year. This was followed by his teaching at Sydney Lanier High School where he taught chemistry for three years, taught physics for two years and worked as Assistant Principal for six years. His last employment with schools was at Capitol Heights Junior High School where he served as the principal for 15 years. While he worked as principal, during the evenings, he also taught calculus and chemistry to Air Force Service personnel at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. He retired from all employment as an educator in June 1987 after working for 33.5 years. He then began working with management of rental houses that he and his wife owned, and the by time that he retired from this in February 2022, he managed 10 houses.

He and his wife, Betty, were married 72 years before she passed away, and they had two daughters, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He is a member of the Vaughn Park Church of Christ in Montgomery. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing bridge and working 3D puzzles which is a jigsaw puzzle that when assembled creates a three-dimensional object. Recently, he completed the assembly of a 700 piece 3D puzzle of the U.S. Capitol.

SGT. Jackson's conclusions about his military service are: "It meant that I was able to leave the farm and did not have to return to the farm to work." He would like to be remembered as a person who never smoked cigarettes, used alcohol or used vulgar language. Whenever he took a job, he would take care of it.