Sergeant Wakkuna Almira Jackson, named after the Hawaiian word for “princess,” was born November 29th, 1984, in Portsmouth, Virginia. She graduated from Stanton Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Florida, a cymbal player in the school’s marching band, a self-taught guitar player, a National Honor Society inductee and a member of the school’s Spanish club.
Sergeant Jackson aspired to become a doctor, namely a pediatric surgeon. In 2004, she joined the U.S. Army, following in the footsteps of her father who served in the Navy for 20 years, hoping to fund this dream. Once she was in, however, she discovered a passion for the military. She was assigned to the 710th Brigade, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Support Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, of Fort Drum, New York and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On August 19th, 2006, Sergeant Jackson’s convoy was transporting medical supplies in Kunar Province, Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated near the convoy vehicle, and Sergeant Jackson was killed in the blast. She was 21. Specialist Robert E. Drawl and Corporal Christopher F. Sitton were also killed. Jackson was survived by her parents and her sister.
Sergeant Jackson was a rock and a leader. When someone vented to her, she would give them advice. She truly cared. The youngest of three children, Sergeant Jackson was still the sister her siblings would come to when they needed help. According to her obituary, ” Wakkuna was the youngest of three children, but she was the strongest. If there was a problem with the computer, if they couldn’t spell a word, or if they just had a problem, everyone came to her.”
Sergeant Wakkuna Almira Jackson is buried at Edgewood Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.
Sources:
https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-sgt-wakkuna-a-jackson/2054806
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15455167/wakkuna-almira-jackson
Back To Blog