Carl Francis Jackson was born to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Jackson on June 17, 1917 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has two sisters Beulah Egly and Erma Geyer. Carl graduated from South Side High school. Jackson had a love for the land that eventually brought him to Adams County. Carl F. Jackson was inducted into the Army at the Decatur Public Library November 13, 1941 at 8:10 A.M. Under the selective service program. He underwent basic training at Fort Bragg, NC. Then went to advanced training at Camp Gordan, GA; Fort Still, OK; Fort Dix, NJ; Fort Jackson, SC and Camp Johnson FL. Carl was then sent oversees in December 1943 to England in preparation for D-Day. He was a part of the 4th infantry division, Battery "B" 29th field artillery, and as it would turn out the 4th would land on a stretch of French coast code named Utah on H- Hour (6:30) on D-Day. In a letter home Carl had made the remark "It was rough, but we made it!" After the landing of D-Day, He and the 4th fought though Cotentin Peninsula to take the critically important port of Cherbourg. From June 6 to June 28 the 4th was involved in continuous action until the last resistance around Cherbourg was eliminated. With little rest the 4th continued to attack and with the help of the 2nd Armored Division, spearhead the assault at St. Lo France on July 25, 1944 as apart of the battle of the hedgerows. Two days later Jackson was killed near St. Lo. The fourth exploited the break in the German line at St. Lo, and used it as a foothold to advance across France. They eventually freed Paris from Nazi rule and made further advancements against the Germans. Fighting across the Siegfried line followed. Soon after the the 4th found them selves in the Hürtgen forest fighting across dense pine and fir trees. Advancing past the forest, and by December they found themselves in a defensive position in Luxembourg fighting back the bulge created by the German offensive. Eventually they fought past the Siegfried line, and returned home after V-E day to prepare for the Pacific. They trained for the Pacific, but victory in Japan came before they were deployed. For his service, PFC Jackson earned the American Defense Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and the Purple Heart for injuries resulting in death. Information researched and collected by Spencer Shoup, 2014.
Cox, Jim, ed. "Carl F. Jackson." Find a Grave. N.p., 27 Sept. 2009. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
"Division History." National 4th Infantry (ivy) Division Association. National 4th Infantry (ivy) Division Association, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.
"Jackson Killed near St. Lo." Decatur Daily Democrat 2 July 1994: n. pag. Print.
"U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945 for Carl F Jackson." Ancestry.N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.