By Naval Station Everett Public Affairs

EVERETT, Wash. — In a room filled with family, shipmates, friends and mentors, Cmdr. Dillon Jackson closed a chapter of service that began with a call to serve his country and ended with the gratitude of a Navy community he helped lead. Jackson, a Wyoming native and 1997 graduate of Kemmerer High School, retired during a ceremony held April 24, 2026, onboard Naval Station Everett where he served as executive officer.

Surrounded by family members who were teary-eyed and full of pride, the ceremony honored not only Jackson’s accomplishments in uniform, but also the quiet sacrifices made by those who stood beside him throughout more than two decades of naval service.

Jackson graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2001 with a degree in communication before earning his commission through Officer Candidate School, a competitive program that prepares selected candidates to serve as Navy officers. Inspired to serve following the Sept. 11 attacks, he entered the Navy and began a career that would take him across the country and around the world.

Jackson reported for flight training in Pensacola, Florida, and was designated a Naval Aviator in August 2004.

As a Naval Aviator, Jackson flew helicopters, served at sea, trained future aviators and led sailors through demanding missions and challenging assignments globally. At Naval Air Station Whidbey Island his search and rescue work also reflected both the urgency and human impact of naval service here at home.

His sea tours included service with the Warlords of helicopter squadron (HSL-51) in Atsugi, Japan, where he served as training officer and operations officer with Detachment Six aboard the destroyer, USS Lassen. After earning his qualifications as a helicopter aircraft commander, he deployed as maintenance officer with Detachment Five aboard the frigate, USS Gary, and the destroyer, USS McCampbell. He completed a department head tour with the Scorpions of helicopter squadron (HSM-49), where he led the successful transition from the SH-60B to the MH-60R helicopter airframe. He also served aboard the aircraft carriers, USS Ronald Reagan as assistant air operations officer and USS Nimitz as combat direction center officer.

His shore assignments included the Shooters of Training Squadron Six, where he flew more than 1,000 hours in the T-34C while serving as Ground Safety Officer, Student Control Officer, and Senior Watch Officer. He later served as the Officer in Charge of Whidbey Island Search and Rescue Unit, where he oversaw more than 150 real-world missions.

His final assignment was as executive officer of Naval Station Everett, where his loved ones gathered to celebrate his career.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and multiple unit citations and deployment honors. Those awards, along with his assignments and qualifications, tell an important part of his Navy story.

The easiest things to record are often the things that appear in official files: assignments, decorations, rescue missions, deployments and positions of responsibility. However, according to those he served with, Jackson will also be remembered for the things that are harder to capture in a service record, such as the everyday conversations with sailors, the care and compassion he brought to leadership, the heart and judgment he brought to difficult decisions, and the steady way he helped shape the lives and careers of those under his charge.

Jackson’s retirement, held during the Month of the Military Child, also served as a reminder that military service is never carried by the service member alone. His wife, Shelly Jackson, and their children, Scarlett Jackson and Cole Jackson, shared in the moves, separations, missed moments and periods of uncertainty that come with a Navy career. Their son, Cole, carries the name of his grandfather, Jackson’s late father, Cole Jackson, a connection that reflects the family legacy present throughout the ceremony. Jackson’s mother, Eileen Jackson, and his late father also shared in that sacrifice, watching their son leave home, answer the call to serve and build a career defined by duty, leadership and devotion to country.

For every documented milestone in Jackson’s career, there were countless moments of support from his family that made his service possible.

From Kemmerer, Wyoming, to flight decks, helicopter squadrons, aircraft carriers and installation leadership, Jackson’s career reflects a commitment to country, to family and to the Sailors he led.

As he begins his next chapter, retired Cmdr. Jackson leaves the Navy with the respect of those who served beside him and the gratitude of the communities he represented.

Fair winds and following seas!