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Gerald G. Jones, age 87, of Tuscaloosa, died Jan. 31, 2013, at Hospice of West Alabama.
Born in Mercer County, PA, he entered the U.S. Army in 1943 and served in the Battle of the Bulge, retiring after 26 years of military service. He graduated from Troy State in 1978 and retired from the Alabama Highway Department. He has lived in Tuscaloosa for the past 35 years.
In 1947, he married the late Margaret "Marjie" E. Jones, and they had six sons. He was also preceded in death by sons, Richard A Jones and Robert W. Jones, and brother, A. Dean Jones.
Survivors include his sons, Dean I Jones, Gerald G. Jones, Thomas E. Jones, and Timothy R. Jones; sister, Doris Roybal; brothers Maurice R. Jones and Robert (NAP) Jones; 11 grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren; and special friends, W. Belle Avery and Vivian Williams.
Graveside services were held at Green Hills Memorial Park with the Memory Chapel Funeral Home directing. Pallbearers were his grandsons.
[The Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, AL, from
February 3 to February 4, 2013] |
[courtesy of "Rick & Kat"] Grave marker for Gerald
G. Jones in Green Hills Memorial Cemetery, Troy (Pike county),
Alabama. Gerald
enlisted in the Army at Fort Meade, MD on 16 August 1943.
On 28 July 1944 Pvt Jones was transferred from the
82nd Airborne division, Leicester, England to Company G, 508 PIR
which was then refitting after losses in Normandy.
Pvt Jones was wounded in action in Holland on 19
September 1944. He was able to return to the company on 16
October 1944.
Pfc Jones on 7 January had been involved in a
heroic action which earned him a
Silver
Star that was awarded just two months later.
He was listed as a non-battle casualty on 14 January 1945,
perhaps due to frostbite, but returned to duty on 25 February. Pfc Jones was
discharged on 21 December 1945 and remained inactive until 21
December 1948 when he joined the National Guard.
On 25 January 1950, Gerald submitted this application
for the Pennsylvania WWII Veterans Bonus. He was credited with 9
months of domestic duty and 20 months of foreign service which
earned him a $390 bonus award.
In 1951 he completed the National Guard Officer
Course/ He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and became an
artillery officer. He attained a Captaincy in 1957. |
