Curtis Jackson saving the world
Chief Tango sends us a link to the story of Curtis Jackson, a sanitation worker and former Marine who thwarted a convenience store robbery;
“I noticed a gentleman with his hand, at first; I didn’t know what it was. I saw him just like this pointing what appeared to be a weapon at the cashier. I thought it was a weapon, I thought it was a gun,” Jackson said.
Without so much as a second to think, the 44-year-old quickly and quietly weaved through the 7-Eleven’s aisles and snuck up behind the would be thief.
“I just crept down, came this way, and I walked and I saw him and I ran up on him and I just grabbed what I thought was the weapon and shook it away,” Jackson said.
Luckily, the thief, Nicholas Mecina, wasn’t armed, he had a tube of lip balm or a magic marker that he held as if it was a gun, but, neither Jackson nor the clerk knew it at the time. Mecina is homeless and has a long history of encounters with the justice system.
“I just wanted to stop what was going on. I didn’t want to get shot. I didn’t want my partner to get shot. I didn’t want the cashier to get shot. I just wanted everyone to go home safe,” Jackson said. “I don’t feel like a hero, I just feel like I did something that should have been done.”
A quote from the New York Times;
“All I wanted to do was to use the bathroom,” [Jackson] said. “And then all of this happened. But that’s just taking out the garbage.”
Category: Real Soldiers
Well done Marine! Most would have tried to hide or exit the place rather than risk getting involved.
Dumbass who tried to hold the place up with lip balm, story might read: Dipshit uses Chapstick & gets his Ass Kicked.
Good thing that he was there.
Nice job Marine.
Not as lean, not as mean, still a Marine.
Bravo Zulu sir.
OC
BZ young man, BZ.
And I will disagree Jonn’s first sentence, calling Mr Jackson a “former Marine”. With very few exceptions (and we all know who they are), there are no such thing as a “former Marine”. There may be retired Marines, or deceased Marines, or left-the-service Marines, but “former” is not in their vocabulary.
And again, Mr Jackson did not know, at that time, that the pendejo did not have a gun (or other weapon), yet he faced that danger to protect a (to him) stranger.
Greater love. . . . .
former = honorable service
ex = dishonorable whatever
That’s the way I’ve had Marines explain it to me. And if he’s not still IN the Marines, then he’s either ‘former’ or ‘ex.’ Or how would you explain it? Jesus, are we getting so sensitive anymore than even WE can’t talk to each other, for fear of soiling our delicately scented lacy undies?
Ok. I sit corrected. Being a retired Uncle Sam Ain’t Released Me Yet, commo, usually in the company of infantry grunts, and not having too much contact with much of our brother services, I plead ignorance as an extenuating circumstance.
But I thought I’d always heard (especially on this site), “Once a Marine, always a Marine”.
Just figure that whichever one I write is the wrong one. Every time. Regardless of which one I use.
Jonn, here’s a few acceptable synonyms to use:
past
prior
one-time
And a golden oldie I’ve never seen before: “whilom”
You’re not wrong, Jonn. Somebody needs to get the boil on their ass lanced — then, maybe, they’ll feel better.
Come to think of it, I probably should get mine looked at, too. 🙁
‘Just taking out the garbage.’ So say we all!
Good job, big guy!
BRAVO ZULU MR. JACKSON, you thought and acted like a Warrior, few people are able to keep their heads on that straight when the SHTF like that.
“instead using his training as a former Marine to hold him down”
FOIA pls…
As a former Marine I don’t remember such hold him down training.
I recall such training. It was extra curricular and generally conducted off base at bars and taverns.
It works thusly:
You standing, him prone. You use your booted heal in a stomping motion to various sensitive parts of the prone man’s body in a constant application to ensure that not only does he not move, but that he’s never given the opportunity to consider moving.
Well done, Marine!
Yeah, I know. But that day he was a Marine, and no other description is adequate.
Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I, too, was schooled that only folks like a former member of Congress, now deceased, are properly referred to as an ex-Marine. You must do something VERY disgraceful, like call your fellow Marines murderers with no supporting evidence at ALL, to earn the “EX” prefix. Otherwise, all who are not currently serving are former Marines.
The way it was explained to me years ago, you are either a Marine or a quitter. There are no former Marines.
Headline made me do a double take. I have a brother in law made Curtis Jackson.
I love heroes and happy endings!
Way to go, way to be Mr. Curtis Jackson! Well done sir.