American Valor Quarterly Issue 4 - Autumn 2008 | Page 26

Gene Pell: And from there you were assigned to Asia?
Captain Jackson: Yes. Initially when I went to Korea, I was a
platoon leader for a rocket artillery battalion and my second job
was as a personnel officer.
Gene Pell: How do you feel about the award that you were
eventually given for your service in Iraq?

Then-1st Lt. Walter Bryan Jackson (above center) becomes only the
seventh soldier since the Vietnam War to receive the Distinguished
Service Cross, November 2, 2007.

Captain Jackson: It was a very humbling experience, but the
way I view it, it is a representation of all the service that my unit
had provided. It is important to point out that in my task force
in the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry, there were seven soldiers that
were awarded Silver Stars. You don’t hear about that very often.
The heroism that I witnessed every day was amazing and
inspirational to me. I hope that is what defines me as a leader. I
will never forget those people I served with, who made me
who I am today.

Captain Walter Bryan Jackson was honored with the American Veterans
Center’s 2008 Paul Ray Smith Award, presented at its annual conference
on November 8, 2008. To read the award citation or to listen to this
interview, visit www.americanveteranscenter.org.
There were a number of problems that I experienced from the
Also pictured are Secretary of the Army Pete Geren and
Lt. Col. Thomas C. Graves, Jackson’s commander in Anbar.

AVQ

second I was sent home to live with my parents.
There were a lot of issues that I had with the bureaucratic side of
things – from the financial situation to the accountability of where
I was supposed to be living at. When I was discharged, my civilian
case manager was aware of where I was living, but the Army
had somehow let it slip through the cracks and as far as they were
concerned, I was still back in Germany. There were some real
issues accounting for where I actually was.

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Gene Pell: That would have some advantages, one might think!

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Captain Jackson: It was a little frustrating for me to go into
Walter Reed day in and day out and be my own advocate. My
parents were actually my best providers for my care. After awhile,
I began to speak out about the issues, telling them that if this was
happening to an Army lieutenant, I could only imagine what it
was like for a private.
But by March of 2007, after this article had come to light and the
Army had revamped a lot of these broken systems, things started
to get better. Over time, Walter Reed became the cornerstone of
what the Army healthcare system would look like. So today, the
Army is definitely in a better position in terms of the care they
provide for all the other wounded Soldiers in different Army
bases. Walter Reed is now the best representation of what the
system should look like.

U.S. Army Photo

Gene Pell: When did you return to active duty?
Captain Jackson: I was active duty the whole time, but I finished
my convalescent leave at the end of November 2007.

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Thank you for your service!

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Fredericksburg, VA 22407
www.intelliwaresystems.com

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Autumn 2008 - 26

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