Killed in Action
VIETNAM
SSGT DOWARD LEROY “RICKY” JONES, JR., AGE 23
SILVER STAR
BRONZE STAR
GRADUATED FROM COOPER HIGH SCHOOL 1962
ATTENDED ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
HONORED AT TAYLOR COUNTY COURTHOUSE
BORN JUNE 20, 1944,
ABILENE, TEXAS
KILLED IN ACTION MARCH 25, 1968
QUANG TRI, SOUTH VIETNAM
BURIAL ON APRIL 6, 1968, AT ELMWOOD MEMORIAL PARK, ABILENE, TEXAS
FIELD OF HONOR LOT 8 SPACE 4
HONORED ON THE VIETNAM WALL PANEL 46 E LINE 019
U.S. ARMY
2ND PLATOON, DELTA COMPANY, 1ST BATTALION, 8TH CAVALRY REGIMENT, 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION, AIR MOBILITY LAB, UNITED STATES ARMY VIETNAM
SSGT Doward LeRoy “Ricky” Jones served as platoon sergeant when his unit became heavily engaged. He suffered a severe wound but refused medical evacuation and then assisted in removing other wounded soldiers. Later in the day, he was fatally wounded. He received the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other medals posthumously at a ceremony in Abilene at the Grimes Memorial United States Army Reserve Training Center. He had previously received the Purple Heart and Soldiers Medal for injuries he received in January, two months before he was killed. He was cited for his “Gallantry in Action while engaged in military actions.”
His Silver Star citation reads, “SSGT Jones distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action on 25 March 1968 while serving as a platoon sergeant with Co. D, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry, during a combat operation in Quang Tri province, Republic of Vietnam. When his unit became heavily engaged with a large enemy force, SGT Jones sustained a serious wound but refused medical evacuation and continued to expose himself to the hostile fire as he assisted in moving his wounded comrades to safety. Late in the day, while leading an assault, he was mortally wounded. His gallant actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.”
His Bronze Star citations said, “Through his untiring efforts and professional ability, he consistently obtained outstanding results. He was quick to grasp the implications of new problems with which he was faced as a result of the ever-changing situations inherent in a counterinsurgency operation to find ways and means to solve these problems.”
In one of the three letters received by his wife after his death, he wrote, “Sorry I didn’t get this letter mailed sooner, but I had trouble finding a mailbox over here.” The letter was dated March 24, one day before he was killed.
In a letter to his father written in July sent from Vietnam, “I do want you to know that we should be helping these poor people to a life of freedom even if the price of freedom is supreme,” SSGT Jones wrote.
He wrote to his brother, David, of North Carolina, “Death seems to come easy to the men here. I guess we get used to it. It’s as natural as breathing. It only hurts if I knew the man personally.”
He was born to Doward Henry Jones on June 20, 1944, in Abilene, Texas. 1960, his family moved to North Carolina but returned to Abilene, where he graduated from Cooper High School in 1962. He was a member of the choir at Cooper. While attending school, he worked at Abilene Pastry Shop, Fishel’s, and Parisian. He attended Abilene Christian College. At age 18, he married Judy Gayle Engle in July of 1963 and then returned to Greensboro, North Carolina, where he enlisted in the Army on November 12, 1963. He was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training and at Fort Gordan, Georgia, for advanced infantry training. He served a tour in Germany before being stationed at Fort Hood. His family returned to Abilene when he left for Vietnam in May.
FROM www.vvmf.org. POSTED NOVEMBER 11, 2006, BY TRACEY: DADDY. Daddy, Today of Veterans Day 2006. You left this world many years ago, taken from us all. But you will always and forever be in our hearts. Love and Miss you…Your daughter, Tracey.
