Major General James T. Jackson
U.S. Army (Retired)
Director, The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration
Major General James T. Jackson, U.S. Army (Retired), serves as the Director of The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. This national effort was instituted by the U.S. Government under the auspices of the Department of Defense to do what should have been done 50 years ago: thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
MG Jackson initially joined the Commemoration staff in 2012 as a senior advisor. In this capacity, the General helped develop partnerships with federal, state and local communities, veterans' groups and other nongovernmental organizations. Today, over 11,000 Commemorative Partners across the country are committed to assisting the nation in recognizing our 6.6 million living Vietnam veterans and the 9 million families of those who served from November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975.
MG Jackson’s military career began in 1971, as an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduate from Kent State University. Serving in the Army for 32 years, his assignments took him around the world, including postings with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington; the Republic of Korea; and as an Army ROTC instructor at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. MG Jackson also commanded a wide variety of U.S. Army units, including the 1st Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the 3rd Ranger Battalion and 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia; and the U.S. Army’s Military District of Washington.
Upon retirement from the U.S. Army, MG Jackson worked as a senior executive in the public sector for two different companies and participated in a three-month deployment in Iraq to support the Coalition Provisional Authority. After serving for eight years, he retired from the public sector.