USS Jackson Book Drive

The USS Jackson, which is set to be commissioned in July, is in need of books for the on-ship library. UPM is joining together with Lemuria Bookstore, The Clarion-Ledger, and St. Paul Catholic Church’s Armed Forces Ministry to sponsor a book drive.  

We are asking people to donate Mississippi-themed books, books by Mississippi authors, and/or books that will comfort, enrich, and inspire sailors on board the USS Jackson. These can even be hardback books right off your shelves at home; when you are spring cleaning, think of what books you have that might be appropriate.

The commander of the USS Jackson expressed to John Evans, owner of Lemuria, that he is convinced that the quality of life for sailors on board our Navy's vessels is made infinitely better when the vessel has a real library.

This is the first ship named after the Capital City of Mississippi. The ship’s construction began in August 2011 with the first cut of aluminum. She was launched in December 2013, christened in March 2014 and is scheduled to be commissioned at Gulfport, Mississippi in 2015. The Navy League of the United States Mississippi Council is proud to have formed a volunteer commissioning committee in order to celebrate the commissioning of the USS Jackson.

Drop off points for the book drive are Lemuria Bookstore in Banner Hall and the Madison County Herald, located at 794 U.S. 51, Madison. 

To get the ball rolling, UPM will be donating several books, including these six titles below that we think will be of special interest to the sailors on the USS Jackson

Tracks By Donald C. Jackson

Wilder Ways By Donald C. Jackson and Illustrated by Robert T. Jackson

German Boy: A Refugee’s Story By Wolfgang W. E. Samuel

American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe’s Secrets By Wolfgang W. E. Samuel

The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles By Michael B. Ballard

Americans at War By Stephen Ambrose