Sommer Scholl

Marcus Clarke

Bret Marisnick

Abbie Zech

Dan L. Jackman

When you think of war, you never picture yourself in the action. You picture movies about it, but never really see yourself holding the rifle and shooting at your enemy with bullets flying past your head. Who could even imagine such a thing? Well it is those few people that put themselves in those positions that make the United States what it is today. On the morning of his 17th birthday, Dan L. Jackman voluntarily enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He went through Boot Camp as well as Sea School. Throughout these trials, Jackman learned much about himself, but most of all how much he wanted to be in the action and serve his country. He got the opportunity to travel to many different places and see different cultures amidst the war. His patriotism led him into the war, and it’s what got him through. Dan L. Jackman would not take back any experience he had when he served. He claimed that it has made him the man that he is today.

He earned his ranks in Korea, being the Machine Gun Squad Leader with Chester Puller’s boys at Inchon, Yong – Dong – Po, Seoul, Kojo, and the Chosin Reservoir, where he received his first Purple Heart. He kept on fighting and defending our country and was promoted to Sergeant. He surely didn’t let his injury hold him back. Not much longer after that at Horseshoe Ridge, he received his second and third Purple Hearts. This is when Dan was discharged and placed on 40%. Since he left on his 17th birthday, Dan was never able to graduate from high school and get his diploma, so while he was on disability, he went to Brigham Young University, in hopes of attending school there, and had to take an entrance exam, which he was proud to say he passed on his first try. The only thing was that he was not able to receive a degree from the university; he could take all the classes he wanted, but wouldn’t obtain a degree until he had received a high school diploma. Then in 1953, he waived the disability and re-enlisted in the Marine Corps in Idaho. Not long after he went to Utah and was an instructor at the University of Utah. This was when he requested a reduction in rank and to be placed back in the regular Marine Corps. He was soon promoted to Staff Sgt., and became the NROTC Drill Instructor. In 1958 he was selected and awarded the title of Drill Instructor of the Year.

Jackman went to Vietnam as a Gunnery Sgt. While there, he was promoted to 1st Sgt. and participated in the amphibious landings in Vietnam; the assault battalion for Operation Double Eagle 1, Double Eagle 2, Utah, Texas, Iowa, Hot Springs, and Wyoming combat operations. During the Utah battle he received two more purple hearts. Before he retired in 1968, he was 1st Sgt. of the 1st Light Anti Aircraft Missile Battalion. Jackman said the difference between Vietnam and the Korean War was that in Vietnam, you had to go looking for the soldiers of the opposite army to fight, but in Korea, they were all there and waiting for you, looking for you.

Jackman said one of the toughest times he had to face was during the Korean War at Chosin Reservoire. His troops were supposed to be tied in with the Army that Mac Arthur was suppose to have sent out, but the Army was sent to the wrong place. At this time weather became drastically cold, and both Jackman’s troops and the army were surrounded by North Korean and other communist troops. In two different places they were trapped. They had to figure out a way to get themselves united, so they fought in different directions and one of the things to do was get the Funchilin Pass open to travel across. One rifle company was able to hold off all North Korean troops for 4 to 5 days and three people received the Medal of Honor. The Americans at the time were poorly equipped for the cold conditions. They attacked the North Koreans but part of that included climbing a mountain in a snowstorm. They began their climb with a total of 253 men at 4:00 on December 8th, and by 2:30 on December 10th, 111 Marines were left. Even with the American loss, they still managed to kill 550 North Korean soldiers and hold the pass open for three days.

One of Jackman’s most memorable events was what he called the Kool – Aid story. They were all in their fox holes prepared to attack when one of the men started choking and so a few of the other Marines ran over to him and called for Dan to help since he as in charge. The choking one was lying on his side and Dan rolled him over and saw what he thought was blood, but it looked a unusual color. So he wiped some of it on his hand and licked it and found it to be Kool – Aid. Since the Marine had been known to drink Kool – Aid quite often. The Marine had opened a pack of Kool – Aid, and at e the powder when he swallowed it too fast. So the Kool – Aid and the saliva mixed in his mouth seemed to the other Marines to look as if he were coughing up blood. Everyone was relieved that it was Kool – Aid and began to laugh. The ironic part about this being so memorable was because this is where Dan received a purple heart. The enemy was always looking for someone who is most needed and if they can take them out they can reduce the oppositions abilities some. So, since Dan was the first to rush over to help the man in his troop, he was see as an aide to a corpsman by the North Korean’s that were across them mountain. So while Dan was sanding along side the coughing ma, he was shot at and the bullet ricocheted off the ground in front of the fox hole and bounced up and went right through a bone in his arm, breaking the bone in four different places along with another bullet that skimmed right across his face, just below his ear. Dan remembers this story probably because it was amusing, but it is when he received his second and third Purple Hearts. He was then placed on disability for the next couple of years because his arm was injured and he was in the hospital for ten months.

Some of the best times Dan describes during his military career was the opportunity to be an escort for Miss America for 4 days in Iowa and Illinois and he says that he was picked for this assignment because he had the cleanest mouth out of all the men in all the troops, and for Miss America, they didn’t want someone who swore and was disrespectful, so they picked someone like Dan who naturally kept his mouth clean. Jackman was also in the movie “SANDS OF IWO JIMA” in 1949 with John Wanye. Dan said he didn’t like how movies today depicted a phony dialect that all them an, down to the last one of them, had a filth mouth, but Dan didn’t. Dan was also able to be a presidential escort on two different occasions, to President Truman and the former President Hoover.

Dan says the difference between the Marine Corps now and then in our weapons are more advanced, and we have many more technical things. All training is still the same with ability and traditions says Jackman. He said that now education is more complete because the Marines are now working with higher technology weapons.

Dan received a lot of opportunity from participating in the wars. He got the opportunity to come and share all of this information, which he considered one of his best opportunities. He is glad that he helped to fight for the fact that we are free, and he learned direction and determination. He now feels that anything he sets out to do, he can do it. He feels that everything we do as far as education, hobbies, and medical welfare, that we are able to do these things because of the war. He also said that the war was necessary and wouldn’t hesitate to go again. He also left the war with new friends, and became like brothers with many of the men who he still has contact with today. Dan L. Jackman fought for the welfare of out country and should be remembered always as a hero.