Al Jackson owes a lot to the men who served before him.

"Had it not been for my heroes, I would not be here today," said Mr. Jackson, who served as a Naval aviator during the Vietnam War. He spoke Saturday at the Nancy Carson Library as part of a tribute to veterans.

A member of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., Atlanta Chapter, Mr. Jackson spent more than 22 years in the military and served three tours in Vietnam.

Because of the sacrifices of the original Tuskegee Airmen, who flew during World War II, Mr. Jackson said, he had better opportunities in the military.

"At the time I went in the Navy, there were only two jobs as black sailors - a cook or a valet in the officers' quarters," he said.

Now, Mr. Jackson tells his story and the story of those World War II aviators.

Mr. Jackson's appearance at the library was the final program in a series called We the People: Freedom Series at Nancy Carson.

A grant from the American Library Association and National Endowment for the Humanities provided 19 books to Nancy Carson Library, according to library manager Barbara Walker.

"They gave the books to us free, but we had to do programs that centered on freedom," she said. "We've done a lot of different things, but we thought we'd celebrate the end with a program for our veterans."

Ms. Walker read excerpts from a book compiled by Merriwether Middle School pupils called A Salute to Our Veterans.

Pupils interviewed veterans from several conflicts including World War II and the Vietnam War for their book.

She also read from a World War II veteran's journal about the images of war he saw after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Other programs in the series included a performance by David Quibideaux, who portrayed a Revolutionary War soldier who traveled with Lewis and Clark, and a performance by Bob Rollins, who gave voice to patriots such as Patrick Henry and Gen. George Patton.

Reach Charmain Z. Brackett at czbrackett@hotmail.com.