Jackson, Elmer (Interview transcript and video), 20519

Smither, James (Interviewer)

Elmer Jackson was born in 1925 in southwestern Michigan. Jackson was in high school when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor over the radio. Jackson was later drafted into the Army in August of 1944 and was sent to Camp Wood, Texas, for three months of Basic Training. He was then shipped to Scotland aboard the SS Queen Mary and was quickly transferred to South Hampton, shipped across the English Channel to the Normandy beachfront, and trained up to the frontlines. He was assigned as a replacement rifleman to the 291st Regiment, 75th Infantry Division on the Meuse River. After moving south through Luxembourg, Jackson’s company took the fight eastward toward the Rhine River. Once across the Rhine, he saw more combat and observed several high-altitude bombing missions, which he was grateful for. His Division had advanced well into Germany by the end of the war in Europe and he was quickly transferred to the occupational forces in Bad Tölz and Fischbach. Jackson was then transferred to Camp Baltimore where he worked as a Military Policeman, then as an office assistant, and finally in Graves Registration. He applied and was accepted as a driver of a weapons carrier, driving through the postwar Allied occupation zones and questioning local mayors on the locations of possible American gravesites. He also spent some time in Switzerland and Paris, France, and in July of 1946, he was shipped back to the United States and was officially discharged from the Army at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Jackson then traveled back home and resumed work at a local hardware store. After being fired due to a long period of being sick he eventually went to work for a local grocery store and attended Michigan State University where he pursued a degree in civil engineering. He then traveled around Michigan attempting to find steady work and was denied several times before acquiring a job with a local hardware and plumbing business in 1949, which he later purchased in 1953. Reflecting upon his time in the service, Jackson believed the Army instilled in him the mentality that he could achieve anything he set his mind to. He also greatly appreciated the support of the GI Bill, which helped him achieve admission into MSU.

2019-07

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Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401.

Veterans History Project (U.S.)

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