George "Jack" Andrew Jackson

George “Jack” Andrew Jackson, 69, died honorably on July 20, 2019. Jack was a highly decorated Marine who fought proudly for his country and later trained JROTC students at North High School. A memorial service with military honors will be held Friday, July 26, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at Lutheran Church of Hope, 925 Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines followed by a dessert reception until 5 p.m. Private burial will be at Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Jack was born on August 25, 1949 and raised in Mansfield, Louisiana. He graduated from Mansfield High School in 1968 and in June joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He was an infantryman in Quang Tri in North Vietnam, in 1970 he went to the Marine Barracks in Japan and earned the rank of Sergeant. From 1973-75 he was in the 7th Marines 2nd battalion at Camp Pendleton, CA. He returned to Japan in 1975 and was part of the Marine Amphibious Force until 1976. His next tour of duty was in Texarkana, Texas. From 1976-80, Jack was promoted to O-1 and was in Administration. His next stop was with the 4th marines in New Orleans, LA from 1980-83 where he trained Marine reservists all over the United States. Jack was with the 24th marines and became the Administrative Chief with a rifle company in Huntsville, Alabama from 1983-86. He returned to Camp Pendleton in 1986 with the 9th Marines, special operations and was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant. He was recommended for 1st Sergeant in 1989 and became the Senior Military Advisor to the Company Commander while being stationed in Jackson, Mississippi from 1990-93. Jack served in Desert Storm and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan in 1991. His last stop was in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where he was involved with Special Operations. Jack received the Meritorious Service Medal while serving our country, along with several other combat medals.

After his retirement from the military, Jack worked as a physical education teacher and JROTC instructor at North High School in Des Moines, Iowa from 1996-2012. He was the sponsor for the National Honor Society at North High School for eight years and he received the Golden Apple Award in 2003 for his outstanding service.

One of Jack’s hobbies was refereeing high school basketball, and he also enjoyed fishing with his family and friends. His words of wisdom, “Life is Temporary – if we are lucky we will be accepted by our Lord and Savior, which is eternal” and regarding integrity, “always do the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Jack is the third of five children born to Jesse and Mary Jackson. Jesse served in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII and the Korean War. Jack has one brother, Raymond and three sisters, Darlene, Marilyn and Helen. Jack was married to Sue from 1980-2014 and they remained close. He is also survived by his children, Candice (Brett) Stenstrom, Amanda (Randy) O’Hara, and Lucas Andrew Jackson; grandchildren, Stella Ray Stenstrom and Lucky Jack O’Hara.

Memorials may be directed to the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. Condolences at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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