Tom Jackson completes Airborne School
Geneseo Republic
Second Lieutenant Thomas G. C. Jackson successfully completed the U.S. Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Georgia on March 6, 2021. The intensive three-week airborne course requires students to complete five parachute jumps from a C-130 aircraft at approximately 1250 feet during the final week of training. Two of the five jumps are made with full combat equipment including rifle and rucksack. One parachute jump is conducted at night. Following the completion of his fifth parachute jump, Lieutenant Jackson was awarded the U.S. Army Parachute Qualification Badge. Tom graduated from the U.S. Army Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course at Ft, Benning in November 2020 and has been selected to attend the U.S. Army Ranger School. He is assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Tom is a 2015 graduate of J.D. Darnell High School. He received a U.S. Army R.O.T.C. Scholarship to University of Illinois (Champaign/Urbana) and graduated from Illinois with Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of Arts and Sciences in May 2020. Tom was a member and officer of the Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity at University of Illinois from 2015-2019.