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Medal of Honor recipient visits 15th Wing Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff. Sgt. Terri Barriere
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  U.S. Medal of Honor recipient, Col. (retired) Joe Jackson, visited the 15th Wing Feb. 28 through March 3 to attend the 15th Maintenance Group's annual Knucklebuster award ceremony and visit with Hickam Airmen.

Jackson, who received his medal of honor in 1968 for a heroic rescue of a combat control team during the Vietnam conflict, served as the guest speaker for the Knucklebuster event, and brought with him a message of inspiration and encouragement as he spoke to Hickam maintainers about the importance of their mission. Jackson is also highly regarded for his three combat tours over the span of his 33-year career.

Col. Michael Novotny, 15 MXG commander, said they knew Jackson would be an awesome choice for guest speaker because of his maintenance background in the early years of his active duty career.

Novotny said Jackson's story is an inspiration to maintenance Airmen who may not see the importance of what they do or understand their true potential.

"Stories like this show them they aren't just bending wrenches, but that they can go on to achieve great things," he said. "When you get speakers like Colonel Jackson I think that really shows Airmen what they can accomplish ... every one of them has it in them to be great."

One of those great things, according to Jackson, is being well educated. He emphasized the importance of Airmen pursuing their education during his speech, urging them to "never stop getting education."

Jackson's speech also highlighted the impact just one Airman can have--a point Novotny said he continuously stresses to his Airmen.

"Each person is important to the mission," he said. "Each person has a unique role to play in order to achieve mission effectiveness and it's important for each one of them to do their best, be productive, ensure they are being safe both on and off duty and continue to develop themselves professionally."

In addition to his attendance at the Knucklebuster Ceremony, Jackson also attended a wing promotion ceremony, toured the flightline and Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 facility and attended an Airlift Tanker Association meeting. Jackson also spent much of his free time engaging with Airmen and taking in the historical sights.