Page 68 - The History of Veterans at Highland Springs

BOB (JAKE) JACOBSEN HIGHLAND SPRINGS RESIDENT, ARMY
I began my military service in the ROTC program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. I received a commission as 2nd LT in the Army Corps of engineers. My first assignment included one year as training officer for Madison detachment in the Army Reserve. I obtained my B. S. degree in civil engineering the following year and began active service in Ft. Belvoir VA. After 90-day officers training, I was assigned as an instructor at the school of engineering at Ft. Belvoir in typical army logic. As a graduate of civil engineering, I instructed new 2nd Lt. and all grade of non-commissioned officers on the use and care of weapons, which were usually assigned to a combat engineering company. I also served as range office for all grades of senior officers in the Washington DC area for the annual weapons qualifications with the .45 cal. semi-auto handgun. I was in charge of the infiltration course which was designed as a night exercise where troops climbed out of the trench and crawled about 50 yards under barbed wire strung about 18 inches above the ground and around sandbagged dummy machine gun nests which were wired with quarter pound explosive charges while 30 caliber water cool machine gun fires live rounds over their heads at a height of about 36 inches above the ground the tracer ammo the wire and the explosives were intended to initiate the troops to live fire and night nighttime exercises a great deal of care was required in setting up the course for safety standards but yet the realistic and to then conduct the exercise without any incidents for me to have to report to the bird kernel who was commanding officer of the training cycle It was also my duty periodically to run the rain be the range officer for the rifle range where troops shot for qualification with the m1 Grand 30 caliber rifle which was the standard rifle of all troops back in the '50s and that's all there is on that page. I guess my only dangerous duty was once when I was in a grenade pit with a very nervous trainee who, after the command pull pin dropped, the fragmentation grenade fortunately rolled into the blast trench, and about the time both of us exited the pit blew up only a cloud of mud and leave wet leaves. I was fortunate never to be shot at or to shoot anyone which made my three years of service safe but unexciting. I declined serving in the reserves after discharge and began my civilian engineering career that took me to several states before I came to Highland Springs as a pioneer in 2006.
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