JACKSON-ROBERT

Excerpts from obituary published in San Diego Union-Tribune on 2/28/2016:

Robert Warren Jackson, loving husband, devoted father, devout Christian, and naval fighter pilot who served his country heroically through three wars, died February 17, 2016, in San Diego.  Robert attended El Monte Union High School and Pasadena Junior College.  He married the former Ethel Mary Signs of Philadelphia in 1944.  Survivors include his wife of 72 years, two sons, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. 

Robert had a long and distinguished career proudly serving his country as a naval fighter pilot.  During World War II he participated in the invasion of Africa and was in a squadron based on Guadalcanal in 1943.  During the later stages of the war he had numerous duty assignments including serving as a fighter pilot flight instructor at NAS Daytona Beach, VBF-80 at Ream Field in Imperial Beach, California, and with VF-11 aboard the USS Valley Forge.  During the Korean War he served two deployments over an 18-month period on board the USS Boxer.  Subsequent assignments included VF-112 aboard the USS Kearsarge and test pilot with the Bureau of Aeronautics in St. Louis. 

In 1957 he reported to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard where he oversaw the conversion of the USS Midway to an angled flight deck as it underwent modernization.  He became the Midway's air officer during its first post-modernization deployment to the Pacific.  In 1958 he went on to be Anti-Air Warfare Officer for the Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.  After serving as the Naval Air Operations Officer he reported to the Bureau of Naval Weapons in Washington, DC, where he was promoted to Captain and received orders for a tour with Commander Service Group Three in Sasebo, Japan.  In 1965, he transferred to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to become commanding officer of the Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility.  He then served as commanding officer of the fleet oiler, USS Caliente, which furnished logistics support for naval forces participating in the Vietnam War during two tours of duty.  His final duty assignment was as Commanding Officer of Naval Air Facility at Sigonella on the island of Sicily. 

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)