Charles R. Jackson (USMC)

For other people named Charles Jackson, see Charles Jackson.

Charles R. Jackson
As a West Point cadet
As a West Point cadet
Born(1898-07-14)July 14, 1898
Petersburg, Virginia
DiedMay 4, 1971(1971-05-04) (aged 72)
San Diego, California
OccupationUnited States Marine
NationalityAmerican
Genrememoir
Spouse
Margaret MacRae
​
(m. 1949)​
Personal details
Awards Silver Star
Purple Heart
Military service
AllegianceUnited States United States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
United States Marine Corps
Years of service1919–1925
1927–1951
RankSergeant major
Battles/warsWorld War II

Charles Ream Jackson (1898–1971) was an American Marine, best known for his posthumously published memoir I Am Alive: A United States Marine's Story of Survival in a World War II Japanese POW Camp.

Biography

Charles R. Jackson was born in Petersburg, Virginia on July 14, 1898.[1] He attended Virginia Military Institute, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. From there he attended West Point and graduated in 1919. He then served in the United States Army, resigning his commission in 1925 to join the United States Marine Corps, where he enrolled in 1927 as a private.[2]

While fighting in the Battle of Corregidor in the spring of 1942, he was captured by the Japanese and interned as a POW for three years.

After the war, he was appointed a commissioned warrant officer in the Marine Corps. He married Margaret MacRae on April 7, 1949.[1]

He retired on November 1, 1951, due to eye problems caused by vitamin deficiencies he experienced as a prisoner of war.[1]

He died in San Diego, California on May 4, 1971.[1]

Ranks

Military medals and ribbons

Silver Star
Purple Heart

Writings

Charles R. Jackson's plain account of his experiences as a P.O.W. of the Japanese was edited by military historian Major Bruce Norton USMC (Ret.) and published posthumously in June 2003. Among other topics from Jackson's notes that were assembled were accounts of inhumanity and deadly situations, including forced marches.

Sources

  • Jackson, Charles; Bruce H. Norton (2003). I Am Alive!: A United States Marine's Story of Survival in a World war II Japanese POW Camp. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-345-44911-8.
  • Morris, Eric (2000). Corregidor: The American Alamo of World War II. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 0-8154-1085-9.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Assembly. Vol. 31. United States Military Academy Association of Graduates. 1972. pp. 103–104. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Cullum, George Washington (1920). Robinson, Wirt (ed.). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. From Its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890. Vol. VI-B: 1910–1920. Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. p. 2109. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Google Books.