Joe M. Jackson
| Joe Madison Jackson | |
|---|---|
Jackson in 2010
|
|
| Born |
March 14, 1923 Newnan, Georgia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Air ForceUnited States Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1941 - 1974 |
| Rank | Lt Colonel |
| Commands held | 311th Air Commando Squadron |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (4) Air Force Commendation Medal |
Joe Madison Jackson (born March 14, 1923) served as a career officer in the United States Air Force and received the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War for a dangerous impromptu rescue operation of three American military personnel.
Jackson, born on March 14, 1923, in Newnan, Georgia, was an avid model aircraft enthusiast in his youth. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in March 1941, a few days after his 18th birthday, in hopes of learning more about aeronautics. Nine months later, the United States entered World War II and Jackson was assigned to serve as crew chief aboard a B-25 Mitchell bomber. As a testament to his early flight aptitude, he helped save his fellow crewman by assisting his aircraft's pilot during an engine fire. Soon after, Jackson successfully completed Aviation Cadet Training and became a commissioned officer. He flew a variety of aircraft throughout the war, and ended the war at the controls of a B-24 Liberator bomber aircraft.
During the late 1940s, Jackson returned to flying fighter aircraft. During the Korean War, he successfully flew 107 combat missions in the F-84 Thunderjet. His accomplishments include:
After completing a staff tour in Europe, Jackson was assigned to fly the C-123 Provider over South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. While he flew 298 combat missions during this period, it was his rescue mission on May 12, 1968 during the Battle of Kham Duc that earned him the nation's highest award for military valor.
On January 16, 1969, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Jackson with the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony. Also receiving the Medal of Honor that day was fellow Newnan native Stephen W. Pless, a Marine aviator who, like Jackson, had earned the decoration for an airborne rescue operation. Legend states that, upon realizing that both Pless and Jackson were from the same small Georgia town, President Johnson quipped "there must be something in the water down in Newnan."
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