Posted by Bradford Jackson on May 3, 2006:

Clay Bradford Jackson Sr. LTC, USAF (ret), died peacefully in his sleep on April 23 at home in Opelousas. Born in Hammond in 1930, his parents were Nellie Louise Britton of New Orleans and Albert Clay Jackson whose family came from Baton Rouge. Clay grew up in New Orleans. He lost his mother when he was eight and his father later married Gladys Verser. He met his first cousin, twice removed, George C. Marshall, in 1938. George urged the little boy to become a soldier. This became Clay's goal in life. After graduating from Fortier High School in New Orleans at age 15, he studied at Marion Military Institute in Alabama. Congressman Hale Boggs appointed him to the United States Military Academy at West Point. His goal was to be in the Cavalry (Armor) like his cousin. But after his roommate, who wanted to fly, developed weak eyes, Clay chose Air Force and his roommate went to the Cavalry. He graduated in 1953. In 1954 he married Mary Brooks Gaissert of Griffin, Georgia. He was sent to Ellington Field in Houston after finishing flight school, flying T 29's. He volunteered for the Strategic Air Command and became a "cold warrior" flying B 47 bombers. In SAC he became the youngest aircraft commander during that time. After five years, he went to The George Washington University in Washington, DC, to earn an MBA. He received early promotion to the rank of Major and then served in US Systems Command in Los Angeles, helping develop missiles and prototypes for the Space Shuttle. He was honored with an AF Commendation Medal for saving the taxpayers over a million dollars on a contract. Clay would laugh and say "A million here, a million there, soon we're talking real money!" Clay turned down Air Force invitations to tryout for the Apollo program. He declined civilian offers and instead volunteered for duty in Vietnam. His assignment as a Forward Air Controller required him to train as a fighter pilot in the F 100. There he learned the operating environment for fighter close air support. His Vietnam service (1966-67), commanding a Forward Air Control unit, was in support of the 3rd Brigade of the Big Red One, based in Lai Khe. He flew O1-E Birddogs (the Army L-19). He flew in combat for his entire tour. During that period, he was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, ten Air Medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Valor and others. Among the few pleasures of that grim time was being able to work with some of his West Point (Army) classmates. He found sitting on a flak jacket to be a very practical idea. He served four years in the Pentagon. Then he was assigned to US Southern Command in Panama to work with US Military Groups in Latin America. Ironically, he was in Chile the day before the overthrow of President Salvador Allende. He learned of the coup after landing in Argentina the next day, for him, like all American personnel, it was a total surprise. He decided to retire after 23 years service while assigned at Rome AF Base in upstate New York, the coldest place a New Orleans native could stand. Home became Alexandria, Virginia, where Clay was principal broker for Hooff Real Estate, after 13 years, he founded Clay Jackson, Realtors. For over 13 years he volunteered as the business manager of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, an organization head quartered in and preserving a National Register building, The Atheneaum. NVFAA was in major financial difficulties when Clay volunteered. When he finished, they were fiscally healthy, with the mortgage fully paid off and an endowment established. Clay was a talented artist noted for the amusing Christmas cards he drew each year for 52 years. He loved classical music, ballet, art, and quote-acrostic puzzles. Clay and Mary came to Opelousas to live in the 1910 cottage his son had restored on Grolee Street for them. In declining health, he enjoyed sitting on his back porch, cheering as the mockingbird squadron maintained tactical air cover over the strategic mulberry tree assets against marauding crows and confused purple martins. His survivors include Clay Bradford Jackson, Jr. (Catherine Hebert), Virginia Brooks Britton (Michael Smith) of Alexandria, VA, Elizabeth J. Davidson (Jon Davidson) Ocean Springs, MS, Blake Britton Jackson (Joyce diVito) of Pasadena, CA, six grandchildren, his sister Beverly Powers of Shreveport, his brother Dr. John O. Jackson of Madison, WI, three nephews, three nieces, and many cousins. Services will be held later in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations earmarked to complete the renovation of the fourth floor of the New Life Center be sent to: New Life Center Renovation, P.O. Box 3177, Lafayette, LA 70502.

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