Col. (Ret.) Robert Ellis Jones, 90, Clarksville, died Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, at his residence.
Born 19 July 1917, in Montreal, Canada, Colonel Jones was commissioned in the United States Army as a 2nd Lt. Infantry, 22 May 1939. Jones served in Troop F, 111th Cavalry, NMNG, CCC, and 33 years active duty. Upon graduation from Parachute School 23 May 1942 and assignment to 502d PIR, he served in various assignments, to include participation in Normandy and Rhineland Campaigns WWII. Jones was wounded in Holland during Operation Market Garden while commanding "H" Company, 502d PIR, and returned to the US in February 1945 for hospitalization.
Colonel Jones was assigned to The Parachute School, Fort Benning, Ga., May 1945 to May 1948, then to 511th PIR, 11th Airborne Division, Camp Haugen, Japan. He was subsequently assigned to the 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division in April 1949. Jones engaged in five offensive campaigns in Korea. He participated in the Inchon landing as Company Commander "C" Company, 32d Infantry. As a participant in the Chosin Reservoir attack in North Korea as S1 of the 1st Battalion, 32d Infantry, Jones led the remnants of that Battalion, himself, two other officers and 18 soldiers, out of Chosin Reservoir while attached to the 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He remained in Korea as Executive Officer and Battalion Commander until his return to the United States in June 1951.
Jones served as an Airborne Instructor at the Command and General Staff College 1951-1954, followed by a three year tour in Hawaii as a National Guard Advisor, G3 Staff Officer and as G5 US Army Pacific. His next assignments were with the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry 1957-1960, and as Executive Officer, Deputy Commander and Group Commander, Fort Campbell, Ky.
In 1960, Jones was assigned as an Infantry Unit Advisor to the Turkish Third Army. In 1961, he was selected to attend the US Army War College; upon completion he was assigned to Special Warfare Directorate, Office of the Chief of Staff for Operations, Department of the Army at the Pentagon 1962-1964, then to the Joints Chiefs of Staff J3, actively engaged in planning and operations of the Vietnam Conflict. Initially assigned to USAEUR Heidelberg In August 1966, Jones assumed command of the 10th Special Forces Group (ABN) Bad Toelz, Germany. Upon return of the Group to the US in September 1968, he traveled to Vietnam to serve as Deputy Director, Phoenix Directorate, COORDS, HQ MACV until June 3, 1970. He then departed to be Chief of Staff and Deputy Installation Commander, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Colonel Jones received his Bachelor of Science degree from New Mexico A&M College in 1939, with Post Graduate work at the University of Texas. In 1965, he received a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from George Washington University.
Colonel Jones' awards and decorations include: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with two clusters, Bronze Star with cluster, Joint Service Commendation Medal with two clusters, Purple Heart with cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Metal Pendant, Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Presidential Unit Citation 1st and 2d Awards (Navy), Belgian Fourraguere, French Croix DeGuerre with Palm, Netherlands Orange Lanyard, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnamese Police Medal of Honor 1st Class, Vietnamese Rural Revolutionary Development Medal, and various other Service Medals. He received the Combat Infantry Badge with Star, the Master Parachute Badge and a Glider Badge. Jones was awarded the Departments of Army General Staff Identification and Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badges.
After retirement from active duty in 1973, Colonel Jones resided in Clarksville, where he continued his public service through many military and community pursuits. He was granted and assigned the distinction of being the original Honorary Colonel of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, a Distinguished Member of the 502nd Infantry Regiment and a Distinguished Member of the 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
Jones was past President and Chairman of the Board for the 101st Airborne Division Association; Chairman of the Board for the 32d Infantry Regimental Association; and a Member of The Chosin Few, survivors of the Chosin Reservoir action. In 1997, a building at Fort Drum, N.Y. was named for Colonel Jones by the 1st Battalion, 32d Infantry Regiment to recognize his leadership in bringing the Battalion’s last remnants out of Chosin Reservoir.
Colonel Jones was named by Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a past Worthy Patron of Eastern Star; 32d Degree Mason for more than 50 years, a Sojourner and a Knghts Templar. Jones was named by the 101st Airborne Division Association as The Airborne Man of the Year when he was president of the Association. He received the ultimate honor of being named The Airborne Man of the Year from The Static Line, an organization of all airborne associations comprising many tens of thousands of warriors.
Colonel Jones was a co-incorporator and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation, which is building the Wings of Liberty Military Museum at Fort Campbell.
Robert (Bob) Jones is survived by his daughter, Reta Nicholson and husband Donald of Columbia, Mo.; stepson, William N. Weems and companian Linda Bowles of Clarksville; sister, Elisabeth Oakberg of Oak Ridge; brother, Raymond Peterson of Sequim, Wash.; sister-in-law, Opal Edmundson of Clarksville; sister-in-law, Lois Atchison and sister-in-law, Ruby Grayson and her husband Lloyd, all of Poynor, Texas.
Also surviving are grandchildren, James R. Robinson of Columbia, Mo., and Karen Robinson Rivera and husband Greg, of Leavenworth, Kan.; stepgrandchildren, Sonya Nicholson and husband, David Adams, and Kurtis Nicholson of Columbia, Mo. Great-grandchildren surviving are Laura Talbert, husband Alonzo and their children Jonathan, Erin, Sydney and Andrew of Camp LeJeune, N.C.; Sarah Robinson and husband Scotty Kunefke and daughter Hattie of Kansas City, Mo.; Austin Robinson and Lauren Robinson of Merriam, Kan.; and Isaac Adams of Columbia, Mo., Greg and Chad Rivera of Leavenworth, Kan. Additional survivors include many loving nieces, nephews, their spouses and children in Texas, Tennessee and Washington, plus many friends and their families locally and across the world.
A very special survivor is Bob’s longtime companion, Alice Goodrich of Clarksville. Her family became his loving family as well.
Bob was preceded in death by wife, Dorothy Milner Jones of Poynor, Texas in 1957, wife, Martha Edmundson Weems Jones of Clarksville in 1987; sisters, Reta Johnston, Muriel Sipe and Lois Piazza, and brother, Jack Peterson, all of California.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, at 502nd Chapel, Fort Campbell. A second service will be held on Friday, Sept 28, 2007 at Hilldale Church of Christ at 11 a.m.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 at Neal-Tarpley Funeral Home and from 10 a.m. until the hour of service Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 at Hilldale Church of Christ.
The remains are to be cremated.
A masonic service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 at Neal-Tarpley Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to FCHF-Wings of Liberty Military Museum, P.O. Box 2133, Fort Campbell, KY 42223