Jacobson is an active member of the MN Army National Guard

Jacobson is an active member of the MN Army National Guard. He is the son of Terry Jacobson, Roseau, and Linnae Johnson, Alaska. He recently sat down with the Eagle for an interview in celebration of Veterans Day.

Andy Jacobson, MN Army National Guard – Specialist E4

When did you join the Minnesota Army National Guard? On December 23, 2009, I signed a 6-year contract. I was 18 and a senior at Grygla High School. 

You chose to enlist; what made you choose this specific branch? At the time of joining, I realized I needed to change my life. I had a lot of big dreams that I wanted to accomplish and it wasn’t happening on the road I was on, so I changed my destination. I wanted to be able to see my family and have an education available to me. 

Where was your Basic Training location? I left for Fort Knox, Kentucky, in June of 2010. 

Can you share a little bit about your time there? When you first arrive, you get your shots and do all the appropriate paperwork and medical procedures. Then the intense drills start…to weed out the ones who will leave vs. the ones who will stay. In the beginning, they make it known that you have the option to leave. A lot of people get a wake-up call because you get the idea of what Basic will be like.

How were you feeling about it? I was expecting it to be intense, but I wasn’t in shape. I was in the right mental set that it was going to be tough, though. I knew they would be relentless and try to break you down.  In the beginning, I couldn’t even remotely pass my PT test, but by the end, I could do 50 pushups, 50 sit-ups, and a 2-mile run in under 15 minutes.

How long did you stay at Fort Knox? I was there for 13 weeks. After I graduated from Basic Training, I hopped on a bus and headed to Fort Lee, Virginia, for AIT (Advanced Individual Training) for another 14 weeks.

What was your training in? Certificate Power Supply and Generation Technician.

Can you share some of your most memorable experiences? At Basic Training, one of the proudest moments was receiving my Expert Marksman Badge for the rifle range. At AIT, I graduated top 3 in my class and feel proud about that. Another standout moment for me was when I came home. My flight was delayed so I ended up coming through the Minneapolis airport on Veterans Day. I was in uniform and people were stopping me to say ‘Thank You’ and would shake my hand. They even opened up a separate check-in lane just for me. It was really memorable and unlike anything I’ve experienced.

What did you do when you came back home? I was in Grygla for about 6 months and, through an organization called ‘Helmets to Hardhats’, I got a job in Hibbing. The program was through the National Guard and it connects members with training and career opportunities in the construction industry. I worked as a Precision Alignment Specialist at a power plant and in the mines. After that, I had a pipeline job in Williston, ND. Currently, I’m living in Grygla and work at Machinewell.

When is your service period with the National Guard? February of 2016 will be my last drill at Camp Ripley. 

In closing, are there any future plans you’d like to share? I always thought I’d stay in the National Guard, but I want to get back to the basics and focus on a bigger education and look for more opportunities for welding. Ideally, I’d be a welding inspector and eventually get my own rig and head back to the pipeline.

Thank you for sitting down with the Eagle, Andy, and thank you for your service.