Jack H. Jacobs

Jack Howard Jacobs (born August 2, 1945) is a retired colonel in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions as an infantry advisor during the Vietnam War. Jacobs entered the Army through the Rutgers University ROTC program in 1966 and served two combat tours in Vietnam, during which he was wounded twice and earned multiple decorations for valor, including two Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts, in addition to the Medal of Honor. On March 9, 1968, while serving as assistant battalion advisor to a South Vietnamese infantry unit in Kien Phong Province, Jacobs assumed command after the senior advisor and company commander were wounded in an enemy ambush; despite his own injuries from mortar fragments that impaired his vision, he organized the defense, made repeated trips under fire to evacuate casualties—including a U.S. advisor and 13 allied soldiers—and directed counterattacks that repelled the Viet Cong assault, restoring the unit's combat effectiveness. The Medal of Honor was presented to him on October 9, 1969, by President Richard M. Nixon at the White House. Following over two decades of service, including paratrooper assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division and command roles in the 7th and 10th Infantry Divisions, Jacobs retired as a colonel in 1987 and pursued a career in investment banking.