Paul Jackson

Sergeant Paul Jackson was an operator of the USMC 1st Force Reconnaissance Company who was one of the main protagonists in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Biography
Sgt. Paul Jackson and the 1st Force Recon of the USMC are sent into an unnamed Middle-Eastern country in search of Khaled Al-Asad. They enter the country in numerous Black Hawks. Jackson's platoon, led by Lt. Vasquez, land in a coastal town and head to the local OpFor Headquarters where they believe Al-Asad is hiding. After the search of the HQ proved unsuccessful, Vasquez was informed by Command that Al-Asad was broadcasting in a TV station not far from their position. The Marines pushed through the town easily eliminating OpFor resistance. Once inside the station, they regrouped with SSgt. Griggs and his squad before clearing the broadcast room. Unfortunately, Al-Asad was not there either and the Marines headed out to continue the search.

The USMC forces continue their push towards the capitol in pursuit of Al-Asad. Lt. Vasquez is given orders to help protect an Abrams tank - callsign "War Pig" - which was stuck in a Bog. The Marines move out and manage to eliminate OpFor troops in an abandoned building before destroying OpFor tanks and infantry who were moving along an overpass. They manage to reach "War Pig" on time and stop it from being overrun by the OpFor. Vasquez requests air-support but his request is denied due to anti-air guns in their vicinity. Jackson heads out and destroys the anti-air guns allowing two Cobras to come in and finish off the enemy. A few hours later, War Pig has managed to escape the bog and provides support for the Marines. They head through the city and with the help of War Pig reach the LZ for extraction.

Jackson is then part of the strike-force sent to the capital city to capture Khaled Al-Asad. He is the Mk19 gunner aboard a Sea Knight helicopter and provides air support for Abrams' attempting to enter the city limits. Jackson also eliminates resistance around the Ministry of Defense clearing an LZ for troops to land and begin the ground assault. Vasquez is ordered by Command to head further into the city and extract a group of Marines. They manage to extract the Marines with the assistance of a Cobra, callsign "Deadly." Following the discovery of an armed nuclear device in the city center, Command recommends that Jackson's squad displace to a position outside of the effect radius. However, Deadly is shot down and Jackson's squad decide to go and rescue her. They manage to retrieve her and head back to the chopper. However, just as they begin leaving the city, a nuclear device goes off and Jackson's helicopter crashes. He survives the crash but dies a few moments later after seeing the aftermath of the explosion due to injuries sustained from the crash and the effect of the radiation. Sgt. Paul Jackson was one of 30,000 personnel who lost their life under General Shepherd's command, which is revealed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Trivia

 * In the earlier E3 2007 footage, Jackson was originally serving in the 1st Battalion 7th Marine Regiment prior to the unit being changed to 1st Force Recon.
 * Jackson was the first playable Marine ever in the Call of Duty series.
 * Jackson is listed as Killed in Action after the brief controllable cut scene "Aftermath", confirming that he was killed due to the injuries he sustained. "Aftermath" was likely used to dramatize the effects of war and the death of the character.
 * Jackson seemed to have badly broken or lost his left leg during the helicopter crash, as he limps around and falls over multiple times during aftermath.
 * He was a Marine under the command (not known at the time) of General Shepherd.
 * Jackson spawns with an M4A1 in either the normal or grenadier variant in every Marine mission except "Aftermath".
 * Jackson is the second of five playable characters in a Call of Duty game that are scripted to die, the others being Al-Fulani, Private Allen, Sat1, and Roach.
 * It is confirmed that Sgt. Jackson is brown skinned because if the player uses the default weapon (on the PC using cheats), the player can see that his wrists show he is brown skinned. The player can also see he is wearing Marine clothing using default weapon.(He could either be African American or just tan skinned because of the location. The ethnicity is up to the player's imagination.)
 * Jackson is speculated to be the character on the cover of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare case.
 * Orginally Griggs was planned to make comments like "Man, you pulled that off just like Jackson (other soldiers like Vasquez could be mentioned as well)", when Soap would get multiple kills with a grenade, or headshots, etc.. He was intended to say these comments when he was a member of the SAS-U.S.M.C. Joint Operation. The comments imply that Griggs had respect for Jackson.
 * Jackson is the highest ranking playable character in the Modern Warfare Series who isn't Special Operations.
 * Jackson may have been a father, as when he collaspes in Aftermath, a young girl's voice can be heard saying "I love you Daddy, get up!" However, this is barely audible, and is mixed in with other children's voices.

Appearances

 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (First and last appearance)