A Vermont colonel was reportedly forced to resign in 2015 after he allegedly flew an F-16 to Washington, DC, for a rendezvous with a woman.
It was revealed on Wednesday that Colonel Thomas Jackman, 55, the former commander of the Vermont Air National Guard, swapped flirtatious emails while on the job between December 2014 and January 2015, according to VTDigger.org.
The woman, who was an Army colonel working at the Pentagon at the time, reportedly sent a series of photos of herself to Jackman.
His replies included, ‘you look beautiful’ and ‘can’t help but notice every part of you’.
Former commander of the Vermont Air National Guard, Colonel Thomas Jackman (pictured in 2014), was reportedly forced to resign in 2015 after he allegedly flew an F-16 to DC for a rendezvous with a woman
But it was on January 27, 2015, that Jackman, who was married at the time, allegedly made the flight in the fighter jet to DC to meet with the woman.
And despite a snow storm bearing down on Vermont, Jackman, who commanded the 158th Fighter Wing, flew the F-16 nearly 500 miles from Burlington.
It’s unclear whether or not Jackman landed at the Andrews Air Force Base outside of DC or the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.
Jackman reportedly set up the meeting with the woman under the guise of a work trip.
According to VTDigger.org, Jackman booked a room at The Morrison House in Alexandria, Virginia, for January 27 and also reserved a hotel room at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue in DC for January 29.
Once officials from the Air National Guard got whiff of the rendezvous, Jackman was flown back to Vermont on a commercial flight. Another pilot retrieved the jet.
According to VTDigger.org, he was then pressed to step down and allowed to retire with full benefits. He was also allowed to keep his security clearance.
At the time, Vermont’s adjutant general, Maj Gen Steven Cray did not specify why Jackman resigned.
Despite a snow storm bearing down on Vermont, Jackman, who commanded the 158th Fighter Wing, flew the F-16 nearly 500 miles from Burlington to the DC area. But it’s still unclear whether or not he landed at the Andrews base in Maryland or the Langley base in Virginia
Jackman, who was married at the time, was pressed to step down and allowed to retire with full benefits. He was also allowed to keep his security clearance. Pictured is an F-16
Cray did say that he had lost confidence in Jackman as the leader of the Vermont Air National Guard.
The news site didn’t identify the woman involved in the incident, but she had been working at the Pentagon for two months before their arranged meeting.
Jackman, whose 32-year military career included two tours each in Iraq and Afghanistan, has claimed that he was not involved with the woman.
1st Lt Mikel R. Arcovitch, the Guard’s press representative, told the news site that it is ‘not common practice’ for pilots to fly fighter jets to work conferences.
‘When it has occurred, pilots conduct training and complete annual requirements to and from the conference location,’ he said.
The hourly operating cost of the F-16 is about $8,000, according to the Department of Defense.
It’s unclear if Jackman was required to reimburse the Air National Guard for flying the plane.
Jackman now works as a postmaster for the US Postal Service in Vermont.