Rutgers University Foundation campaign honors Col. Jack Jacobs’ heroism in Vietnam with Opportunity Fund to support Rutgers’ military-affiliated students.
One year after graduating from Rutgers College at the height of the Vietnam war, a young ROTC-trained Army advisor named Jack Jacobs made a heroic rescue that earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor—a distinction few soldiers live to receive.
During an ill-fated mission in 1967 that left his commander disabled and his unit in chaos amid heavy casualties, Jacobs took control, ordering a withdrawal and forming a defense line at a more secure position.
Then, despite suffering head and arm wounds and impaired vision, Jacobs repeatedly ran across open rice paddies through heavy fire for hours to evacuate the wounded, personally saving a fellow advisor, the wounded company commander, and 12 other allied soldiers.
In honor of his exceptional act and years of subsequent service, the Office of Veteran and Military Programs and Services at Rutgers is launching a campaign to have Veteran’s House at Rutgers named after the retired Army colonel and raise $500,000 to create an opportunity fund that will support military-affiliated students at Rutgers.
Read the entire story here: https://support.rutgers.edu/news-stories/veterans-house-at-rutgers-to-be-named-after-medal-of-honor-alumnus/