What happens when you mix a mother's love for her son and a twist of fate? The makings of a great soldier; Maj. Vonkeith Jackson.

"I am truly blessed to have served in the U.S. Army. It is an experience that I will never forget or take for granted," he said.

As one of eight children raised in a single parent home, Jackson's mother took his destiny into her own hands. In an effort to keep her son on the straight and narrow, she transferred him to another school district to attend high school, a decision he says altered the course of his life.

"The first day of school my mom took me to Booker T. Washington Senior High to register me. I did not know at the time that she had went to the school board to get a permit for me to go outside of my district. Her reason for the permit was that I was interested in Army JROTC," he said.

"I had no clue of what JROTC was or consisted of back then. It was the best move a mother could have ever done for her child to set him up for success. I am a firm believer that mother truly knows best. She instilled wisdom and direction. She always said the diploma belonged to her and the degrees belonged to us," he added.

Jackson enrolled in Grambling State University's ROTC program shortly after graduating from high school. He would later enlist in the Army National Guard to offset the cost of tuition.

"[In my opinion] boys go away and come back men after entering the Army. I believe the leadership style you work under helps you develop your [leadership] traits and leadership style," he said. "Once you continue to advance and you receive more responsibility, it makes you want to continue to move forward to upward mobility," Jackson continued.

During a deployment to Kuwait, Jackson suffered a permanent injury to his knee and he was forced to reexamine his career.

"I have a permanent plate in my knee to remind me of it. But, that's nothing compared to some others that are worse off or no longer here to tell their stories," he said.

Jackson enrolled in an internship program at the Fort Hood WTB, with the mindset of one day being able to help his fellow Soldiers.

"I started an internship at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas. I have been doing it since August 2016. It was supposed to be only a 90 day program and 20 hours a week. I started in hospital logistics and now I'm doing a second internship in Bio-Med and Safety," he said. "This model that Fort Hood has should be mirrored across the Armed Forces, if it's not already. This model has all the making of an easier transition and less stressful situation for Soldiers and their families while they are transitioning and not knowing what is next."

And while Jackson is in the midst of transitioning, he says he hasn't forgotten his humble beginnings in Louisiana. He hopes to return to New Orleans to mentor the youth in the community he calls home, while passing on a message from his mother who passed away in December of 2015.

"I would without a doubt have to say mom was that driving force in my life and she wanted us to do better in life. I have a motto as I try to work with the younger males in the community," he said. "In order to be a man, you first must see a man. You can't be what you don't see. She told me how proud she was of me before she passed last year."

Jackson will retire in the summer of 2017.