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Did flight training at Maxwell Field, Alabama. Jackson experienced a health problem and could not complete pilot training so he was transferred to Army Air Force ground crew. Jackson was sent to Phoenix, Arizona for ground crew training to become an aircraft armorer where he would load munitions and bombs. |
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Enlisted in pilot training because he did not want to wait to be drafted. |
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Occasionally German planes would fly over and check the air bases movements but the base was not really attacked. |
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Sent to Italy with the 15th Air Force and stayed with them the duration of the war. His crew flew B-24 Liberators and he stayed at the same base for all of his service. |
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The only incident Jackson experienced while loading planes was one time a 500lb bomb fell off and hit him in the leg, he had no fear of it exploding since it was not armed. Fuses to ignite the bomb where the very last thing put in. |
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Even though Jackson was not supposedly allowed to fly missions once he got into combat the needs of war dictated what soldiers could do so he volunteered and flew three missions as an aircraft waste gunner. |