Military
Colorado Springs
CO

patriotism is an interesting topic given this country’s history with African Americans. So in my opinion, it is always somewhat difficult to express what patriotism truly means to me...I’m ultimately protecting this country and my loved ones who reside in it, from enemies foreign and domestic and that what it boils down to for me.

Featured Nominee

Frank Jackson

Captain

Active Duty | Space Force

Nomination

Captain Frank Jackson distinguished himself as a Flight Commander for the 460th Operations Support Squadron by promoting and fostering equal opportunity amongst all members as well as being an active and visible role model for public outreach and community service. He continuously displayed exceptional character and leadership abilities by advocating professional development and advancement for all Armed Forces personnel, including minorities. Through his service, Captain Jackson positively impacted both his military unit with his leadership and the local community by providing mentorship for African American teenagers. His strong character and selfless sacrifice have been instrumental to mission success and the enhancement of organizational climates. Captain Jackson developed military and civilian personnel, retirees, and grade school students across the base and local community regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or race. Captain Jackson expertly led a team of 60 skilled engineers to advance one of the nation’s highest priority space programs consisting of 13 satellites and supporting ground architecture, delivering a critical 232 million dollar capability upgrade and closing out a 23-year acquisition milestone for the 34.7 billion dollar Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). Additionally, he spearheaded integration efforts between 13 organizations for 3 new satellites to ensure operational readiness for Space Delta 4, resulting in the operational acceptance of 2.5 billion dollar space assets. His attention to detail and leadership allowed flawless mission planning between 23 organizations, 339 crew members, and 13 orbital assets for a 25 million dollar capability boost to support next-generation space operations. Furthermore, he continued to sustain the SBIRS constellation by steering a 10-organization group Operational Acceptance Panel to methodically verify 225 mission requirements, eliminated 86 deficiencies, and cut 20 hours of mission outage time from 7.9 billion dollar orbital assets during a satellite flight software upgrade. Moreover, Capt Jackson directed a 264-hour satellite command and control test by de-conflicting 120 commands for 5 units to validate 65 objectives for a 3.3 billion dollar next-generation defense system. Captain Jackson also greatly impacted his local community through his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., by leading job and life skill workshops for 20 minority high school students and replacing 32 beds for disadvantaged children at the Denver Children’s Home. Finally, he provided tutoring and mentorship for math and science subjects at a minority youth leadership conference and served as a powerful role model for 12,000 local students by sharing his experiences as a successful professional engineer. For his efforts, he was recognized as the 460th Operations Support Squadron’s 2019 Company Grade Officer of the Year and 2020 Flight Commander of the Year, the 2019 National Defense Industrial Association Air Force Space Command Patriot Award Winner, and the 2020 United States Space Force Blacks in Government Award Winner. His tireless enthusiasm and immense technical knowledge extended the service life of multiple critical defense systems and fielded much needed improvements in support of the Space Force mission. He is a catalyst to the unit’s organizational success and promotes equal opportunity, human relations, and public service. He is a leader and role model for his peers, ensuring zero equality barriers or discrimination existed within the ranks or in the local community.

Follow Up Interview

What do you do in the service?

I’ve done Developmental Engineering (Aeronautical &Astronautical Engineering), Acquisitions, and Program Management for Air and Space systems . I’m currently working Satellite Operations.

What is your perspective of patriotism?

My idea of patriotism is having a profound appreciation for what a country says its ideals are. Although I was born in this country, my family/friends are here, and my ancestors built this country – patriotism is an interesting topic given this country’s history with African Americans. So in my opinion, it is always somewhat difficult to express what patriotism truly means to me…I’m ultimately protecting this country and my loved ones who reside in it, from enemies foreign and domestic and that what it boils down to for me.