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People on the Move: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jackson

  • Published
  • By Bob Fehringer
  • U.S. Transportation Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Like many military men and women, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Denise Jackson enlisted in the Navy Reserve in 1998 for a chance to get out of her small town, Sioux Rapids, Iowa, and see the world. To date, she has been stationed in Great Britain, Florida and the Midwest, where it all began. 

She was placed on full-time orders in 2001 and now works at the U.S. Transportation Command in the Reserve Component Directorate. 

"I am a personnel specialist with a specialty in career counseling and instructing," Petty Officer Jackson, 38, said. "Currently I do the administrative work for the Navy Reservists that are onboard (stationed at) USTRANSCOM for long-term orders (90 days or more). I am also the command career counselor for the entire Navy element onboard." 

Petty Officer Jackson says she has enjoyed her two years at USTRANSCOM. 

"I love being in the joint environment," Petty Officer Jackson said, "because it has really helped to broaden my horizons and make me a more knowledgeable, well-rounded servicemember." 

During her off-duty time, Petty Officer Jackson enjoys reading, drawing and writing in a journal she has kept since she was a teen. "I keep poetry and short stories that I write in it," she said. "Sometimes when I read what I wrote back in 1989 I think, 'Was that really important to me then?'" 

Jackson spends a great deal of time on the road. "I drive my son, Brandon Edward Jackson, 15, to various activities during the week," she said. "During the weekends, I spend my time driving to visit my daughter in Buffalo, Mo., or my fiancé, Petty Officer 2nd Class David Stroupe, in Great Lakes, Ill." 

Petty Officer Jackson still hopes to see more of the world and says Greece is her "dream location," but for now she's happy driving up to Chicago for the yearly event that features food from around the world, A Taste of Chicago.