Navy Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handler) 3rd Class and Kent native Donald Jackson recently took home two gold medals at the inaugural Invictus Games in London, an international competition among wounded warriors from 13 nations. An accomplished athlete, he currently is competing at the fifth annual Warrior Games, a Paralympic-like event for seriously wounded, ill and injured U.S. service members.
“I like to strive for things like this that are once in a lifetime opportunities,” said Jackson. “In order for me to remain competitive, I have to train and be better. You can’t just stay on a plateau. You have to keep going, keep rising.”
Jackson has long been a sports fan, and when he was assigned to the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), he was thrilled to make the cut for the command’s flag football team. Last fall, a biopsy confirmed that Jackson had epiglottal (throat) cancer. After completing intense medical treatments – during which he was grateful for support from his mother and brother – Jackson anticipates that he will be medically separated from the Navy.
After he received his diagnosis, Jackson enrolled in Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) — Safe Harbor, the Navy and Coast Guard’s support program for seriously wounded, ill and injured service members and their families. NWW connected him to adaptive sports — athletic activities modified to meet the abilities of injured or ill individuals.
Johnson was selected in June to compete on behalf of the Navy at the 2014 Warrior Games, which will take place Sept. 28-Oct. 4 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He also was among 21 Sailors selected to compete at the Invictus Games Sept. 10-14, where he clinched gold in in the men’s 100-meter sprint and the men’s 4×100-meter relay. At the Warrior Games, Jackson will compete in track and field events, as well as wheelchair basketball, and he hopes to bring home more medals.
Jackson also recently landed an internship at the U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle clinic, and he ultimately hopes to move to New Orleans. He is planning to pursue a career in law enforcement.
