From Vietnam To Star Wars: Three Decades Of Service To The Nation

COL(R) David S. Jackson graduated from West Point in 1963, one of four African-Americans in his class. He commissioned into the Field Artillery, and served a year in Korea before deploying to Vietnam. After returning from Southeast Asia, he taught at the Field Artillery School before being selected for graduate school, with a follow-on assignment as a Physics Instructor at West Point. Later in his career, he served in a variety of research and development positions working on the Strategic Defense Initiative (aka “Star Wars”). In this interview, he discusses his service in Vietnam, his time as a physics instructor, and his research on the Strategic Defense Initiative. He also talks about his experience as one of a handful of African-American Cadets at West Point during the early 60s. Please Note: At one point in the interview, the video gets blurry, it will clear up.