Photo By Staff Sgt. Ty Stafford | Maj. Michael Hirtz, 35th Area Support Group and CIF/SSSC accountable officer, goes...... read more read more
As a high school principal, Maj. Chris Jackson, 35th Area Support Group, maintains the school's facilities and grounds, oversees the courses and instructors, and makes sure all the students receive a top-notch education.
As the Logistical Support Area Anaconda Education Center OIC, it's the same.
Jackson is the principal of the John F. Hodge High School in St. James, Mo. The high school supports 600 students, grades 9 through 12. He has also served as an assistant principal and junior high school science teacher at other schools. When the 35th ASG, a National Guard unit from Lexington, Mo., arrived here in July, their mission changed to running the Mayor's Cell, or garrison command, for the 3rd Corps Support Command at Logistical Support Area Anaconda.
The 35th ASG held a meeting and discussed what civilian skills matched the mission.
Jackson and Maj. Michael Hirtz volunteered for the education center. Jackson sought out Hirtz because Jackson knew Hirtz was a teacher.
Hirtz, a high school math teacher at Malden High School in Malden, Mo., works as the Central Issue Facility and SSSC accountable officer at Anaconda and teaches a college algebra CLEP test course at the education center two nights a week.
"We knew all summer that we would be coming here and once we found out we would be running the education center, Maj. Jackson came to me and asked me to teach," Hirtz said.
For Jackson, serving as a principal has given him the experience to run the education center.
"A lot of my job here is the same. I have to try to get people to teach, maintain the facility and grounds and coordinate transportation," he said.
Jackson coordinates transportation for his two test administrators who travel to different forward operating bases that belong to the 3rd COSCOM.
"It is nice to still be in the education system and it's definitely not hindering me," he said.
"It's very challenging, but in a good way," Hirtz said. "Everyone here is attentive and wants to learn. It's nice to teach Soldiers who want to continue their education."
Jackson is the sixth Soldier to have deployed from the St. James school district since 1990 and the Gulf War through Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"The town and the school have been very supportive of this deployment," he said. Jackson was only in his position a year prior to deploying.
"There are a lot of veterans there and it makes it a lot easier to be here," he said.
Jackson is currently waiting on two of his former students to arrive in the next couple of months and Hirtz has two former students stationed in Tikrit.
"They e-mailed me and said as soon as they are done with training they'll be headed this way," Jackson said.
Both officers are staying busy with their jobs, and are looking for new ways to improve the educational system at LSA Anaconda and to continue to give Soldiers the opportunity for self-improvement.
| Date Taken: | 12.22.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2005 08:00 |
| Story ID: | 4166 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 28 |
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