SFC Christopher L. Jackson was more than an Army weapons sergeant in Iraq. He was a teacher, advisor, mentor and planner. His various accomplishments were in direct support of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior’s mission to bring stability and security to the country.
During his deployment from May 2008, to January 2009, Jackson led and conducted 31 direct action missions which resulted in the detention of more than 37 high value individuals in the Baghdad area, including a corrupt member of the Iraqi government.
“Well, I obviously can’t talk about the particulars of the various missions, but in retrospect, I can tell you that I felt like we were really making a difference over there,” said Jackson.
His actions led to a significant reduction in enemy capability within the Baghdad area, helped develop the local Iraqi security force, and established a functional brigade within the Iraqi Ministry of Interior.
“I did a fair amount of training. I worked with the Iraqi soldiers to develop increased responsibility and ownership of their training and operations,” Jackson said as he described his teaching role. “I was also responsible for about 150 training plans for 150 constables. I advised the company commander on how to incorporate Mission Essential Tasks Lists into the short-range and long-range training calendar,” he said.
According to his Bronze Star medal citation, “his mastery of company-level planning and his ability to convey this knowledge as an effective mentor greatly accelerated the Emergency Response Brigade’s process of becoming a national level, self-reliant Iraqi unit.”
During Jackson’s deployment he also earned the Army Commendation Medal with “Valor” device and Purple Heart for his actions in the face of the enemy on July 19-20, 2008.
He led an assault on a large Jaysh Al Mahdi Special Groups element barricaded inside a three-story house. As he and his men entered the courtyard, the Iraqi assault force breached the front door of the building and enemy fire erupted from all three levels of the structure, effectively pinning down his men.
With utter disregard for his own personal safety, Jackson maneuvered through the courtyard to return fire and maintain control of his force.
Once his unit gained fire superiority, Jackson moved his team to covered positions outside the courtyard, continuously exposed to enemy small arms fire and grenades. Wounded by an enemy grenade in the midst of the firefight, he continued to lead his team for the remainder of the battle.
After a lull in the battle, the ground force commander called for a cease fire to evaluate the situation. Jackson and his team re-entered the courtyard in another effort to breach the building.
Again, the enemy engaged them with small arms fire and grenades; Jackson again exposed himself to fierce enemy fire as he suppressed enemy positions on the second and third floors of the building.
When the need for Close Air Support arose, Jackson positioned himself on the first floor and used covering fire and a grenade to ensure his men withdrew safely.
Jackson’s quick decisions and calm performance, focus, and dedication under intense enemy fire prevented his team from being overwhelmed and led to mission accomplishment.
“Once the smoke has dissipated and the dust has settled all that is left is the man on your left and right regardless of nationality. My teammates and Iraqi counterparts are all worthy of this Bronze Star,” Jackson said.
