Photo By JMC Public Affairs Office | An Army sergeant sits inside an UH-72 Lakota helicopter, which is operated by the...... read more read more
CRANE, Ind. — Maj. Simon Jackson, the Joint Munitions Command’s chaplain, tapped into his roots.
Jackson, a Shelbyville, Indiana, native, recently visited the Crane Army Ammunition Activity, a subordinate installation of JMC, to engage with the employees there. Jackson’s visit helped him build relationships and show appreciation for their dedication.
The security force at Crane is currently being augmented with members of the Indiana Army National Guard, and Jackson reached out to members of the 38th Combat Aviation Brigade, an INARNG unit, based in Shelbyville, to help him strengthen the morale of some of their counterparts. Doing so provided a flashback for Jackson.
“Prior to 9/11, the CAB used to give morale flights as a recruitment tool. If you had a parent’s waiver, you could go out there and take a flight if you were over 16. My pastor was the chaplain of the CAB,” Jackson said. “From 16 to 18 years old, we’d go out there and go on flights, and that’s how I was introduced to the CAB.”
A few of Jackson’s companions, who also don camouflage, helped him relive the past, and they played a big part in a memorable day for other service members, as they provided rides inside an UH-72 Lakota helicopter.
“Three of my friends joined the Indiana Army National Guard and became pilots out there with the 38th CAB,” Jackson said. “I’m in a text thread with them, and I just said ‘hey, I’m going to be in Crane. We have a guard force down there full of Indiana National Guardsmen, is it possible to get them a retention morale flight?’
“The pilots are on annual training, and they were looking for flight hours and things to do, so they had the time and the resources,” Jackson added.
Around a dozen Soldiers took part.
“The morale flights offered service members from every branch of service the opportunity to understand the immense warfighting capability of the UH72 Lakota,” said Army Sgt. Dakota Hatton. “Our time in the aircraft with the experienced crew provided a boost to moral and cultivated a spirit of comradery among the different branches of service.”
Maj. Andrew Newkirk of the INARNG, one of Jackson’s associates, coordinated the rides on his end.
“We were thrilled to help facilitate this joint training flight at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane,” said Newkirk, an operations officer for the 2-238th General Support Aviation Battalion. “It gave the UH-72 crew better operational knowledge of the base for future missions, and it familiarized the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines with Army Aviation operations - thereby increasing readiness for all involved. Crane is an outstanding resource right in our backyard, and we’re looking forward to working with them again soon.”
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2025 08:17 |
| Story ID: | 497776 |
| Location: | CRANE ARMY AMMUNITION ACTIVITY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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