Through the ROTC program, Jack Jacobs joined the American Army as a Second Lieutenant. He was an executive officer of an infantry battalion in the 7th Infantry Division, a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division and the commander of the 4th Battalion 10th Infantry in Panama. Jacobs was a professor at the US Military Academy where he taught comparative politics and international affairs. He was also a professor at the National War College in Washington, DC. He served as an advisor to Vietnamese infantry battalions during both of his deployments to Vietnam, earning three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor, the country's highest combat honor. In 1987, Jacobs took his Colonel retirement.
He was the founder and COO of AutoFinance Group Inc., which was one of the companies that invented the securitization of loan instruments. He managed foreign exchange options globally as a Managing Director for Bankers Trust and was a partner in the institutional hedge fund industry. Jacobs later established a comparable company for Lehman Brothers before returning to retirement to explore investing. He serves as a principal for The Fitzroy Group, a company that invests both on its own account and in joint ventures with other institutions and focuses on the development of residential real estate in London. He is a Director Emeritus of the World War II Museum and serves on the boards of several charity organizations.
Jacobs is an on-air commentator for NBC News and holds the Melcher Chair of Humanities and Public Affairs at the US Military Academy. He was a part of the production crew for the Murrow Award-winning Nightly News feature "Iraq: The Long Way Out." Additionally, Colonel Jacobs is a co-author of the Colby Award-winning book If Not Now, When, which was released by Penguin. Basic, his second nonfiction book, was published by St. Martin's Press..

How to hire Colonel Jack Jacobs for an event