Jack Carl "Jackie" Jackson

Former Lowellian Honored By Governor

Jack Jackson, a 1961 graduate of Lowell High School who flew over 600 combat missions in the Vietnam Conflict and has tested fighter aircraft for over two decades, was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon on March 13.

Jackson was given the highest honor bestowed by the governor for his many years of service to his country. He has worked at Boeing Corp. for 23 years, and has tested virtually every type of U.S. fighter aircraft, as well as two Russian fighters.

The most experienced VSTOL pilot in the U.S. with over 5,000 flight hours in Harriers, the Glencoe, Missouri, resident has been involved with testing loads, spins, flying qualities, weapon separation and engines on the AV-8B Harrier. A colonel in the U.S. Marine Reserves, he earned the Navy Commendation medal with a combat V, the Legion of Merit for service to his country, and 23 air medals. He was a Harrier pilot instructor during the Desert Shield operation by the U.S.