Rancho Santa Fe Review
July 26, 2012
19
Patriot Profiles: ‘It’s more than just an arms-to-arms fight over here’ BY JEANNE MCKINNEY This column presents “Patriot Profiles” to provide readers insight into the lives of our country’s heroes. When a 19- year-old kid from the Midwest is carrying a rifle through the poppy fields of Afghanistan, a sweet sound is the thumpthump of an attack helicopter approaching. The aircraft is coming to support that Infantryman on the ground, who shoulders immense responsibility for his team, commander and country. The young warrior fights a different fight from what his grandfather fought in conventional wars, when it was one uniform verses the next. Today, an Infantryman is trained to seek out and destroy a lethal enemy that is hard to identify and must also foster cultural survival after that enemy is gone. “It’s more than just an arms-to-arms fight over here”, says Captain Justin Lane Jackson, who’s into his fourth deployment, currently based in Helmand Province. “In the same day that kid is carrying a rifle, he may have to facilitate the growth of the local economy, see that kids are going to school, and make sure a
population that is largely illiterate has the understanding and ability to vote for their elected leaders.” Jackson continues, “To that end the people can know exactly what they’re living for and working towards. We’re asking a generation of Marines and soldiers to do things our grandfathers didn’t have to do. The challenge for us is to adapt and be flexible.” Captain Jackson flies the skies of Afghanistan where dirt can hang in the air as thick as uncertainty. His day-to-day job is to help young Marines return home as heroes, not casualties. He’s a “Whiskey” man, proudly flying an AH-1W Super Cobra or “Whiskey” — the Marine Corps twin blade aircraft that creates a distinct rotor noise. The Cobra has two pilots and the only other space on the helicopter is reserved for ordnance – toting an impressive arsenal of guns, rockets, and missiles. “It’s built for a very narrow purpose – close air support”, states Jackson, who calls himself “eyes in the skies”
for ground troops. “Throughout all my blessed opportunities of education and training – all the money that’s been invested to get me where I’m at today – my sole purpose in my career is to support that 19-year-old kid.” Jackson didn’t wait for destiny – he created it. “I was pretty dead set I wanted to be a Navy pilot. You grow up watching Top Gun and you think how awesome it would be to do something amazing like that.” His stepfather, who had served in the Army during World War II, encouraged him to go to a service academy. It was during his sophomore year at Annapolis when Jackson saw the second twin tower fall. “We entered a year before the world changed, before everything in our country changed. You see the names of Naval Academy graduates etched in stone in Memorial Hall – men who have died in war decades ago. You have a strong sense of patriotism and pride, but you don’t
Outdoor film series plays through August The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library in La Jolla is ready to roll on its sixth annual “Flicks on the Bricks,” open-air film and wine series. Series tickets include “four memorable films and delightful summer wine pairings selected by Barbara Baxter,” at $60 for members and $80 for non-members. Individual screenings are $17 members and $22 for non-members. The films will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Aug. 2, 9, 16, and 23, on the Athenaeum Outdoor Patio, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Doors open at 7 p.m. Guests must be 21 years or older to attend. (858) 454-5872. ljathenaeum.org On the Marquee: • Aug. 2: “Some Like It Hot” (1959) Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) is a ukulele-playing vocalist in an all-girl band. Two musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), on the run from the mob, join Sugar’s traveling troupe by hilariously donning makeup and dresses to hide their identity. Paired with Champagne and California bubbles. • Aug. 9: “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003) Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) is a 35-year-old writer who has just gone through a divorce that has left her with terminal writer’s block. In a drastic step, she buys a house in the Tuscan countryside after a visit to Italy. A new life includes a new love that gives her the fresh start she was looking for. Paired with vino toscano. • Aug. 16: “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974) In 1934, a trainful of suspects and one murder victim make the trip from Istanbul to Calais especially interesting. Super sleuth Hercule Poirot sets out to solve the mystery. An entertaining Agatha Christie mystery-whodunit, ably supported by a remarkable all-star cast, including AlbertFinney, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, and Vanessa Redgrave. Paired with vino español. • Aug. 23: “Sabrina” (1954) Audrey Hepburn stars as Sabrina, an impressionable chauffeur’s daughter. Sabrina is mad about David Larabee (William Holden), a notorious playboy, but is whisked away to France by her father, only to return a sophisticated lady of fashion. When she returns, David’s head is suddenly turned to her. His brother, Linus Humphrey Bogart), however, seeks to enhance the family’s wealth by marrying him off to an heiress and begins to pursue Sabrina himself to divert her from David’s intentions. Paired with vin français.
know them, don’t know their faces and their stories. After Sept. 11, it became very personal.” “A lot of guys I really respected started choosing Marine Corps verses Navy. When I saw the amount of sacrifice they were going through, deep down inside I knew my path was to become a Marine and serve my country in a time of war.” The death of a good friend and other Naval Academy graduates Jackson knew and admired made him bitter and jaded. “I made some bad decisions — got into trouble.” Even though he had turned himself in to his superiors, he was forwarded for separation all the way up to the Commandant of Midshipmen, Colonel Allen — the last say. The Colonel saw something below the surface in this wayward Midshipman. “Even though my offense was egregious, in terms of Naval Academy rules and regulations, he decided to retain me,” remembers Jackson. Now this dutiful pilot goes to work each day for the man who believed in him. Colonel Allen advanced SEE PATRIOT, PAGE 20
Captain Justin L. Jackson - Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Isaac Lamberth
Above: Capt. Justin Jackson checks settings on control board prior to takeoff – Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Isaac Lamberth. Right: Patrol in Poppy Fields
Israeli Olympic fencer to discuss experience at 1972 Olympics Aug. 7 in RSF As the world prepares to watch the Olympics, here in Rancho Santa Fe, residents will have the honor of hearing firsthand from one of the five Israeli Olympic survivors, Dan Alon, of the Munich Olympics in 1972. Forty years later, Dan Alon will recount his “Munich Memoir” at an event hosted by Chabad Jewish Center of RSF on Tuesday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. at a private RSF residence. Nothing had prepared Israeli fencer Dan Alon for what he would face when he finally qualified and made it to the Munich Olympics. Despite the years of preparation, the training and the dedication, he could not have known how a single Black September day would shatter his dreams and fracture his life. Surviving the Munich Massacre was the
beginning of Alon’s 40-year struggle to understand why he was spared, why his was not among the mangled remains of murdered Israeli Olympic athletes left on the tarmac at Feldenfurstenbruck Airport. After years of suffering, Alon found that telling his tale freed him to rejoin the living. This is that story, a story of courage, of hope, and, ultimately a story of love. This is Dan Alon’s Munich Memoir. For more information, please contact Chabad Jewish Center of RSF Lecture Series at 858-756-7571 or info@jewishRSF.com. RSVP required. Space is limited. Visit www.JewishRSF. com. An autographed copy of “Munich Memoir” will be available for purchase.
OBITUARIES Arnold J. Kapan 1924 – 2012 Arnold Kapan passed away July 22, 2012. Please join us to celebrate his life on Saturday, July 28, 2012, at 2:30pm at the Village Community Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow. Please sign the guest book online at www. legacy.com/obituaries/ ranchosantafereview.
The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved onesare safe in the hand of God. ~Quoted in The Angels’ Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman
g
Obituaries call Cathy Kay at 858-218-7237 or email: InMemory@MyClassi-