On Veterans Day, Mississippi Today recognizes central Mississippians making their mark as lieutenant colonels

Mississippians have excelled nationally, even internationally, in multiple fields ranging from business and entrepreneurship, to arts, entertainment and athletics.

And multiple Mississippians have certainly been impactful in the United States military.

On this Veterans Day, Mississippi Today Ideas is proud to recognize three active members of the military from Mississippi who have excelled. They are all worthy of individual accolades, but Mississippi Today Ideas opted to interview them together because they have much more in common than just being from the Magnolia State.

First and foremost, all three have risen to the important rank of lieutenant colonel where they serve as squadron commanders in Europe – two in Germany and one in Italy. All three lead medical-related squadrons.

The similarities do not stop there. The lieutenant colonel squadron leaders are not only Mississippians, but are residents of central Mississippi or the metro Jackson area. Two are graduates of Pearl High School and the third is a graduate of Jackson’s Forest Hill High School.

Scott R. McKeithen and Jack P. Craven are graduates of Pearl High, and Jasmine D. Cook is a graduate of Forest Hill.

The three recently participated in an online interview with Mississippi Today Ideas – Craven from Italy, where he is based, and Cook and McKeithen from Germany, where they are located.

They talked about their Mississippi roots, the pride they have in their state and in their service to the United States Air Force.

“ That foundation of what got us here today was driven by how we were raised, who we were raised by in Mississippi,” McKeithen said.

McKeithen and Craven said they did not know each other in high school, but knew of each other. Craven, a 2005 graduate, is a little younger than McKeithen.

McKeithen said he knew Craven’s father, who was a principal at Pearl High School, because he got in trouble a lot.

Craven smiled as McKeithen provided that detail.

McKeithen commands the 852d Medical Squadron at Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base in Germany. According to his Air Force bio, among his duties are directing medical and dental services for more than 1,500 U.S. personnel and family members and providing healthcare services for other military-related events.

“I lived in the trailer park in front of the skating rink in Pearl that everybody knows about,” McKeithen said. ”So to be where I’m at in life, it’s because of the government, it’s because of the hard work and the dedication that’s there.”

Craven played sports at Pearl and played soccer and baseball at Hinds Community College. His grandfather, an Air Force pilot and lieutenant colonel, pointed him toward ROTC, which eventually led to his military career.

“One of the reasons I was excited to join was to see the world,” he said, adding he “Got to go through a lot of places and see a lot of things.”

Craven commands the 31st Medical Support Squadron and also oversees the 31st Medical Group, Aviano Air Base, Italy. According to his Air Force bio, he heads the 109-member team responsible for healthcare administration and ancillary clinical support activities supporting 8,400 people.

Cook says his military career started early.

“I joined in 1998 when I was still in high school at Forest Hill,” he recalled. “Imagine a senior in high school trying to tell his friends that they’re in the military. … I was telling my friends I was in the Mississippi Air National Guard, and they were like, ‘man, you’re crazy,’ but I was. So I enlisted in ’98, my parents signed for that, and I went to basic training that summer. And, I went to Alcorn State University. I had a scholarship.”

He commands the 52nd Healthcare Operations Squadron, 52nd Medical Group, 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. According to his bio, he leads 128 members delivering $18 million in medical care and support services for 8,3000 beneficiaries. His squad provides “full-spectrum readiness and 24/7 medical response.”

While the trio said they could not get into specifics, part of what their squadrons do is respond to military events where there might be injuries.

Craven said of all three squadrons, “Getting patients from the X or the point of injury to higher echelons of care as quick as possible is kind of our bread and butter and what we try to do.”

By the way, the three were interviewed shortly after the much discussed LSU-Ole Miss football game earlier this season. The interview proves the game drew attention even in Europe.