Lucius E. "Whiton" Jackson

WORLD WAR II

Private First Class Lucius E. "Whiton" Jackson

U.S. Army

December 30, 1925 – December 24, 1944

Citations: Purple Heart, Medal of Liberty

PFC Lucius E. Jackson, who liked to be called “Whiton,” was inducted in May 1943 at the age of 18. He joined the 262nd Infantry Regiment in Camp Blanding, Florida as part of the 66nd “Black Panther” Division, which was part of the 6th Army bound to join the Northern France campaign.

The units of the 262nd Regiment among several others left for England on November 11, 1944. They then left for France across the English Channel on Christmas Eve 1944 aboard the SS Leopoldville and HMS Cheshire within a protective convoy.

However, just 5 miles from Cherbourg, the SS Leopoldville was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank with a loss of 762 servicemen out of about 2,200 aboard; PFC Jackson was among those lost at sea.