Samuel S. Jack
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Samuel S. Jack
OR:
Samuel S. Jack on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Samuel Sloan Jack (August 5, 1905 – March 25, 1983) was a highly decorated
United States Marine 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 ...
with the rank of
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
.


Early life and Banana Wars

Samuel S. Jack was born on August 5, 1905, in
Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...
. He graduated from the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
at
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
on June 2, 1927. Upon graduation, he received a commission into the Marine Corps as a
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. From July to August 1930, he served as the commanding officer of Fighting Plane Squadron 10M. Second Lieutenant Jack was attached to the 2nd Marine Brigade in
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
as a Marine aviator. On April 12, 1931, he effectively bombed a Sandino bandit camp near Moss Farm despite withering machine gun and rifle fire from bandits. The next day, he located another bandit camp at Logtown and relayed this information to a Marine patrol. He led the patrol towards the camp and strafed the bandits in the camp with his machine guns. The patrol soon arrived at the camp and killed Pedro Blandon, a Sandino leader. For his actions, Jack was awarded the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
. In July 1933, Jack participated in the Los Angeles National Air Races. Jack helped demonstrate the capabilities of Marine aviators to the country.


World War II and Korea

Jack would again see combat during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. From mid-November 1942 until mid-January 1943,
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Jack was made the commanding officer of all Naval aircraft on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. During this time, fighter pilots under his charge destroyed nearly 80 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Jack was awarded two
Legions of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
during the war. Jack was later deployed during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
where he was the chief of staff for the
1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Activ ...
, during which he was awarded a third Legion of Merit. In Korea, Jack had evidence that the enemy was using false radio beacons to confuse American pilots, in one instance six pilots crashed into the side of a mountain during poor weather conditions.


Later career and life

From September 1955 to June 1956, he served as the commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. During Jack's last month as commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the unit began relocating from Korea to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. From January to February 1958, he served as the Director of Aviation. Jack eventually retired from the Marines as a Major General in 1961. Samuel S. Jack died on March 25, 1983, 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 ...
. He was buried in
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department o ...
.


See also

* List of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing commanders


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jack, Samuel S. 1905 births 1983 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War Aviators from Arizona Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery People from Flagstaff, Arizona American military personnel of the Banana Wars Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals United States Naval Academy alumni