In the beginning there were lies.
Recruiters get paid to lie, and lie they did.
"Come join us, be one with us". Pressuring young Jackson into enlisting in Army Security Agency as cover to obtain top secret clearance. He was to be handed-off to CIA.
The manipulation process was simple, one-on-one interviews, flatery, individual oath, but security went to hell in a hand basket when he received his clearance. In front of forty-plus strangers, CIA officers informed Jackson he was going to attend Russian language school and he would be in the Soviet Army for twenty years.
Young private Jackson still wore his hair very short, and what there was stood-up on the back of his neck. The CIA officers were livid with rage when Jackson simply said, "No Sir."
Army Sergeant First Class Jackson is still here, though his life has numerous times been forfeit. Now retired he remains an open sanction, and the clock is marking time to the next event. Try as they may, none have been successful in goals of killing him.
Jackson crewed a UH-1 Huey helicopter, participated in several dozen missions, survived six ambushes, several hot landing zones, shotdown three times, crashed and burned at 120 knots.
Jackson's Huey was hit hard, and knocked about fifteen feet to the right. He stood up, hanging out of the door he saw black smoke, flames, spewing broken turbine blades.
The Huey rolled about 45 degrees on left side, Jackson laying on the floor watched with absolute horror the river and shoreline rushing up at 120 knots. Impact with the river, nose of Huey sheared-off and tons of high pressure water shot into the aircraft.
Impact with shore,Jackson without seat belt was a ping pong ball in a coffee can being kicked down the road. Huey flipped-over, slid upside down, began series of roll-overs, again upside-down, impacting with a small dike, flipping rightside-up. Point of impact to final stop was approximately the length of a football field.
Jackson had been ejected from the wreckage, waking-up under water, on his back stucked in mud and clay. With great effort he was finally able to break free. Staggering toward his burning Huey he noted the butt of an M-16 ninety percent of the weapon verticle, buried in the mud and clay.
Huey's cealing smashed mostly down along with transmission in crew compartment, nose of aircraft sheared-off. Left side cargo door was missing, aircraft commanders door smashed and wrapped around his armored seat. Huey continued to burn.
Shotdown at twilight, it was now full dark. Illuminated by the burning Huey, a sterile Huey with no markings or tail number hovered near-by making no effort to render assistance. Jackson saw the door gunner lean into his M-60, just as the pilot pulled pitch and departed upstream.
Amazingly enough crash sequence violent as it was into water and mud, no one was killed. Lacerations, broken bones, torn muscles and torn uniforms. When later recovered the back of Jackson's helmet had a two inch crack resulting from impact with aircraft commanders armored seat. His wounds included neck, spine, torn muscles and ligaments, fractured right hip, minor cuts from broken plexiglass, and a concussion.
Crew and one passenger limped-off through the mud heading downstream and hiding in the river until rescued by US Navy patrol boats. Perhaps the sudden departure of the mysterious unmarked Huey picked-up radio traffic Navy was inbound to check source of fire.
Jackson's company commander personally hoisted-out the wrecked compressor with .50 cal hole and droppedit into the river to hide evidence his helicopter was shot down by friendly fire.
A few weeks earlier Jackson's original crew, Captain Davis, WO1 Nichols, SP/4 Travis, and SP/4 Boone were killed by friendly-fire.
Jackson continued to fly missions with his final mission the night before he was scheduled to leave country and return to the United States.
His airliner caught fire over the Pacific Ocean.
Recruiters get paid to lie, and lie they did.
"Come join us, be one with us". Pressuring young Jackson into enlisting in Army Security Agency as cover to obtain top secret clearance. He was to be handed-off to CIA.
The manipulation process was simple, one-on-one interviews, flatery, individual oath, but security went to hell in a hand basket when he received his clearance. In front of forty-plus strangers, CIA officers informed Jackson he was going to attend Russian language school and he would be in the Soviet Army for twenty years.
Young private Jackson still wore his hair very short, and what there was stood-up on the back of his neck. The CIA officers were livid with rage when Jackson simply said, "No Sir."
Army Sergeant First Class Jackson is still here, though his life has numerous times been forfeit. Now retired he remains an open sanction, and the clock is marking time to the next event. Try as they may, none have been successful in goals of killing him.
Jackson crewed a UH-1 Huey helicopter, participated in several dozen missions, survived six ambushes, several hot landing zones, shotdown three times, crashed and burned at 120 knots.
Jackson's Huey was hit hard, and knocked about fifteen feet to the right. He stood up, hanging out of the door he saw black smoke, flames, spewing broken turbine blades.
The Huey rolled about 45 degrees on left side, Jackson laying on the floor watched with absolute horror the river and shoreline rushing up at 120 knots. Impact with the river, nose of Huey sheared-off and tons of high pressure water shot into the aircraft.
Impact with shore,Jackson without seat belt was a ping pong ball in a coffee can being kicked down the road. Huey flipped-over, slid upside down, began series of roll-overs, again upside-down, impacting with a small dike, flipping rightside-up. Point of impact to final stop was approximately the length of a football field.
Jackson had been ejected from the wreckage, waking-up under water, on his back stucked in mud and clay. With great effort he was finally able to break free. Staggering toward his burning Huey he noted the butt of an M-16 ninety percent of the weapon verticle, buried in the mud and clay.
Huey's cealing smashed mostly down along with transmission in crew compartment, nose of aircraft sheared-off. Left side cargo door was missing, aircraft commanders door smashed and wrapped around his armored seat. Huey continued to burn.
Shotdown at twilight, it was now full dark. Illuminated by the burning Huey, a sterile Huey with no markings or tail number hovered near-by making no effort to render assistance. Jackson saw the door gunner lean into his M-60, just as the pilot pulled pitch and departed upstream.
Amazingly enough crash sequence violent as it was into water and mud, no one was killed. Lacerations, broken bones, torn muscles and torn uniforms. When later recovered the back of Jackson's helmet had a two inch crack resulting from impact with aircraft commanders armored seat. His wounds included neck, spine, torn muscles and ligaments, fractured right hip, minor cuts from broken plexiglass, and a concussion.
Crew and one passenger limped-off through the mud heading downstream and hiding in the river until rescued by US Navy patrol boats. Perhaps the sudden departure of the mysterious unmarked Huey picked-up radio traffic Navy was inbound to check source of fire.
Jackson's company commander personally hoisted-out the wrecked compressor with .50 cal hole and droppedit into the river to hide evidence his helicopter was shot down by friendly fire.
A few weeks earlier Jackson's original crew, Captain Davis, WO1 Nichols, SP/4 Travis, and SP/4 Boone were killed by friendly-fire.
Jackson continued to fly missions with his final mission the night before he was scheduled to leave country and return to the United States.
His airliner caught fire over the Pacific Ocean.
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