by Christina Salas
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, Morningside Ministries is taking the time to recognize and thank members of our community who have honorably served our country. Retired Colonel Jackson Moss is a current resident of Menger Springs in Boerne, Texas. This past month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Moss and discuss not only his experience living with Morningside Ministries, but his illustrious military career.
As a member of his high school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) for three years, Jackson Moss’ military interest was apparent early on. Throughout his four years studying Business Administration at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M Kingsville), Moss was an active member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). During that time, he met and fell in love with Anne, whom he married upon graduation. They will be celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary this August.
After graduating, Moss went on to serve in the U.S. Army for three decades, spending most of his military career in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Specializing in combat communications, Moss was responsible for establishing, securing, and maintaining Army Signal Corps communication networks on the battlefield. This role remained the communication backbone of the military via management of all voice, data, and information systems, with Moss being at the crux of a network spanning continents.
Colonel Moss was stationed in Germany, sent to Vietnam twice, and assisted in the 1989 U.S. Operation Just Cause, where he contributed to the deposition of Panama dictator Manuel Noriega. Moss acted as commander of the 35th Signal Brigade, leading and improving secure communications operations “from the fox-hole to the White House”. By the conclusion of his military career, Moss had commanded a brigade of 3,200 troopers in the XVIII Airborne Corps, completed multiple high-level missions, and served in some of the military’s most critical roles.
Jackson Moss now resides in a cottage at Menger Springs, where he and his wife have lived for the past year. Currently, he serves as the recently elected President of the Menger Springs Residents Association (MSRA), where he facilitates resident-administration communication and ensures community needs are being met. Moss’ conversational amiability fits right in at Menger Springs, where he says that he and Anne have quickly encountered a community of like-minded individuals. At Menger Springs, many residents share a common commitment to national identity—a value gaining exponential significance as America gets ready to celebrate 250 years of independence.
As we continue to recognize the members of our community who have devoted their careers to serving our country, it becomes persistently clear how valuable a shared American identity can be. Despite its differing peoples, this country’s independence emerged from a unanimous devotion to sovereignty and liberty. As July 4th approaches, let’s continue to celebrate the values this nation was founded upon and the people who remain committed to upholding them.
Thank you again to Jackson and Anne Moss for taking the time to share your story.
Kline, A., CAPT (P), USA. (1991). Joint communications in support of Joint Task Force South
during Operation Just Cause [Thesis, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College].
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA241732.pdf