Sir Michael David Jackson , ( born 21 March 1944 ) is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War . Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963 , he transferred to the Parachute Regiment in 1970 , with which he served two of his three tours of duty in Northern Ireland . On his first , he was present as an adjutant at the events of Bloody Sunday ( 1972 ) , when soldiers opened fire on protesters , killing 13 . On his second , he was a company commander in the aftermath of the Warrenpoint ambush ( 1979 ) , the British Army 's heaviest single loss of life during the Troubles . He was assigned to a staff post at the Ministry of Defence ( MoD ) in 1982 before assuming command of the 1st Battalion , Parachute Regiment , in 1984 . Jackson was posted to Northern Ireland for the third time , as a brigade commander , in the early 1990s
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Mike Jackson (British Army officer)