Charles Ream Jackson (1898–1971) was an American Marine, best known for his posthumously published memoir ''I Am Alive: A United States Marine's Story of Survival in a World War II Japanese POW Camp''.

Biography

Charles R. Jackson was born in Petersburg, Virginia on July 14, 1898. He attended

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. From there he attended West Point and graduated in 1919. He then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, resigning his commission in 1925 to join the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, where he enrolled in 1927 as a private. While fighting in the

Battle of Corregidor The Battle of Corregidor (; ), fought on May 5–6, 1942, was the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, ended all organized o ...

in the spring of 1942, he was captured by the Japanese and interned as a

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

for three years. After the war, he was appointed a commissioned

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

in the Marine Corps. He married Margaret MacRae on April 7, 1949. He retired on November 1, 1951, due to eye problems caused by vitamin deficiencies he experienced as a prisoner of war. He died in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

on May 4, 1971.

Ranks

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

* Sergeant major

Military medals and ribbons

Writings

Charles R. Jackson's plain account of his experiences as a P.O.W. of the Japanese was edited by military historian Major Bruce Norton USMC (Ret.) and published posthumously in June 2003. Among other topics from Jackson's notes that were assembled were accounts of inhumanity and deadly situations, including forced marches.

Sources

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Charles R. 1898 births 1971 deaths Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army officers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers American prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Japan 20th-century American memoirists 20th-century American male writers Military personnel from Virginia