David M. Jones

David M. Jones
David M. Jones in 1938
Born	(1913-12-18)December 18, 1913 Marshfield, Oregon
Died	November 25, 2008(2008-11-25)(aged 94) Tucson, Arizona
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1936–1973
Rank	Major general
Unit	17th Bombardment Group( "Doolittle Raiders")
Battles/wars	World War II Pacific War Doolittle Raid North Africa Campaign The Great Escape
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross(2) Purple Heart

David M. Jones(December 18, 1913 – November 25, 2008) served with distinction as a pilot and general officer, first with the U.S.Army Air Corps(he entered pilot training in June 1937) and later with theUnited States Army Air Forcesand, after September 18, 1947, theUnited States Air Force.His record during World War II includes being one of theDoolittle Raiderswhose exploits in April 1942 were dramatized in the filmThirty Seconds Over Tokyo.He then flew combat missions over North Africa, where he was shot down. He was a German prisoner of war for two and a half years, helping with the April 1944 mass escape atStalag Luft III,and was the inspiration forSteve McQueen's fictional character, USAAF Captain Virgil Hilts, which was dramatized in the 1963 movieThe Great Escape.

In his last assignment with the Air Force, Jones was the commander of theAir Force Eastern Test Rangeheadquartered atPatrick AFB,Florida. He held concurrent responsibility forCape Kennedy Air Force Station,renamed asCape Canaveral Air Force Stationduring his tenure, and theMalabar Transmitter Annexin Florida. He also served as theDepartment of DefenseManager for Manned Space Flight Support Operations during his final active duty assignment, retiring from the Air Force in 1973.

Early years; education

David Mudgett Jones was born on December 18, 1913, inMarshfield, Oregon,the son of David Arthur (Dade) Jones and Grace Mudgett. His father Dade Jones, the son of Welsh immigrants, homesteaded land in Meadow Lake Township, North Dakota in 1896 before marrying Grace and moving to Oregon.

David Jones enlisted in theArizona National Guardwhile he was attending theUniversity of ArizonaatTucson,from 1932 to 1936, where he was also inducted as a member of theSigma Chi Fraternity.His later education included three majorArmed Forcesschools:Command and General Staff SchoolinFort Leavenworth,Kansas, 1946;Armed Forces Staff CollegeinNorfolk, Virginia,1948; and theNational War CollegeinWashington, D.C.,1956.

Jones wascommissionedasecond lieutenantin theU.S. Cavalryarm of theArizona Army National Guard,where he served one year of active duty before transferring to theArmy Air Corpsand entering pilot training in June 1937. After earning hiswingsin June 1938, he served as aNorthrop A-17pilot with the95th Attack Squadronof the17th Attack Group,based atMarch Field,California.

In 1939 the 17th was re-designated a medium bombardment group and transferred toMcChord Field,Washington. By September 1941 it became the first unit of theArmy Air Forcesto be fully equipped with the newB-25 Mitchellmedium bomber.

World War II

Doolittle Raid

Doolittle Raider Crew No. 5: Front row: Capt. David M. Jones, pilot; Lt. Rodney R. Wilder, copilot; back row: Lt. Eugene F. McGurl, navigator; Lt.Denver V. Truelove,bombardier; Sgt. Joseph W. Manske, flight engineer/gunner.

In early 1942, Jones volunteered for the Doolittle Project – a secret bombing raid to be launched on Japan in retaliation for the December 1941attack on Pearl Harbor.During the training phase of this project, he acted as navigation and intelligence officer for the ad hoc squadron of B-25 bombers. On April 18, 1942, theDoolittle Raidlaunched from theUnited States Navy's aircraft carrierUSSHornet(CV-8),dropping their bombs onTokyoand four other Japanese cities.This raid was the first good news that the Americans had from thePacific front.

Lacking the fuel to make a safe landing after the raid, Jones bailed out overChina,where he was assisted by the Chinese people in evading capture. He received theDistinguished Flying Crossfor his participation as a flight commander in the planning, training and completion of the mission. After escaping capture, Jones was flown to India, where he spent three months with the22nd Bomb Squadronflying further B-25 missions against the Japanese.

North Africa and Stalag Luft III

Scene of the "Harry" tunnel in Stalag Luft III.

In September 1942, Jones was assigned to the new319th Bombardment Group,preparing for combat inNorth Africa.He was assigned to develop low-level bombing tactics and techniques due to his experience with the Doolittle project and his belief in low-level bombing tactics. On December 4, 1942, he was shot down overBizerte,North Africa, and spent two and a half years as aprisoner of warinStalag Luft III.As a result of his constant agitation and harassment of the enemy, he was selected for the "escape committee" by fellow prisoners. The committee reviewed escape plans and directed escapes.Jones led one of the digging teams on tunnel "Harry" used in theGreat Escape,chronicled in thePaul Brickhill'sautobiographical book,and portrayed in the1963 film.After his liberation in April 1945, Jones was commended for leadership among his fellow prisoners.

Post-World War II

In July 1946, Jones was assigned as an air inspector at HeadquartersAir Training Command.He followed this with attendance at the Armed Forces Staff College, which he completed in 1948. During this time, theU.S. Army Air Forceswas disestablished and his commission was transferred to the newly establishedUnited States Air Force.He then served as Director of War Plans at HeadquartersTactical Air CommandatLangley AFB,Virginia, followed by an assignment as Director of Combat Operations for theNinth Air Force;then as Commander of the47th Bombardment Group,until February 1952.

He was then the commander of the47th Bombardment Wing(aB-45 Tornadojetbomber wing) atLangley Air Force Base,Virginia and atRAF Sculthorpe,England until July 1955.

Test pilot

B-58 Hustler

Jones began working inresearch and developmentin 1956 when he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for theAir Proving Ground CommandatEglin Air Force Base,Florida. His experience in bombardment-type aircraft and previous command staff assignments in research and development resulted in his being selected director of theB-58Test Force, organized in February 1958 atCarswell Air Force Base,Texas. The B-58 Hustler was the first operational jetbombercapable of Mach 2supersonicflight. During this time, Jones continued to maintain his flight status in the B-58,TF-102,andT-33aircraft; participating in design speed dashes, low-level penetrations, night, weather, formation and inflight refueling missions. He had more supersonic time testing theB-58than any senior U.S. Air Force pilot.

In September 1960, he became vice commander of the Wright Air Development Division atWright-Patterson Air Force Base,Ohio. In October 1961, he was named program manager of theGAM-87"Skybolt" atAir Force Systems Command's Aeronautical Systems Division. When that project was cancelled, he became ASD deputy for systems management and later vice commander.

In August 1964, he became deputy chief of staff for systems at HeadquartersAir Force Systems CommandatAndrews Air Force Base,Maryland, which had responsibility for all USAF research, development, and weapon system acquisition.

NASA

In December 1964, Jones became Deputy Assistant Administrator for Manned Space Flight with theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA).In July 1965, he was given responsibility for development of theS-IVBOrbital Workshop and spent-stage experiment support module (SSESM) – a concept of "in-orbit" conversion of a spent S-IVB stage to a shelter.In August 1965, he took on the additional duties as of the Saturn/Apollo Applications (SAA) Acting Director. Then, in May 1967, he assumed duties as commander of theAir Force Eastern Test Range,Patrick AFBandCape Kennedy AFS,Florida.

Retirement and death

Grave at Arlington National Cemetery

Jones retired at the rank ofmajor generalon May 31, 1973. He was one of five Doolittle Raiders who later becamegeneral officers;the others areJames H. Doolittle,John A. Hilger,Everett W. Holstrom,andRichard A. Knobloch.

In 2002, Jones attended the 50th reunion of the 47th Bombardment Wing at RAF Sculthorpe.

He presented the RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre with a photo of a B-45.

Jones died on November 25, 2008, at age 94, at his home inTucson, Arizona.He was preceded in death by his first wife Anita Maddox Jones, and survived by his wife Janna-Neen Johnson-Dingell-Cunningham-Jones, daughter (Jere Jones Yeager), two sons (David Jones and Jim Jones) and a stepdaughter (Ann-Eve Grace Dingell-Cunningham).At the time of his death, out of the eighty men who participated in the Doolittle Raid, there were ten survivors.

Awards and decorations

Major General Jones' military decorations and awards include:

U.S. Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal	Legion of Merit	Distinguished Flying Cross with bronzeoak leaf cluster
Purple Heart	Air Medal	Air Force Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
NASA Distinguished Service Medal	NASA Exceptional Service Medal	Prisoner of War Medal
American Defense Service Medal	American Campaign Medal	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronzecampaign stars
European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars	World War II Victory Medal	National Defense Service Medal with bronzeservice star
Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters	Republic of China Medal of the Armed Forces	Republic of China War Memorial Medal

See also

• Jimmy Doolittle
• NASA
• Test pilot
• Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,1944 film on the Doolittle Raid, starringSpencer Tracy.Jones was played by actorScott McKay.

References

This article incorporates text in thepublic domainfrom the United States Air Force.

• "Airmen bid farewell to two Doolittle Raiders".Air Force Link.United States Air Force. December 2, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2012.RetrievedDecember 2,2008.

• "Biographies: Major General David M. Jones".Air Force Link.United States Air Force. Archived fromthe originalon July 9, 2008.RetrievedDecember 3,2008.

• "Major General David M. Jones".U.S. Air Force Military Biographies.FindArticles.com. 2004.RetrievedDecember 2,2008.

• "Obituary: Major General David M. Jones".Tucson.com.RetrievedDecember 2,2008.
• Burnette, Bowen D.Denver and the Doolittle Raid.Tabbystone Press, 2012.ISBN978-0-9850612-0-3.
• Joyce, Todd."David M. Jones, 0-22482, Major General, Pilot Crew 3".The Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.RetrievedDecember 2,2008.

External links

• "USAFA Stalag Luft III – Majs. David M. Jones and William C. Beckham".American Personalities.United States Air Force Academy, United States Air Force. Archived fromthe originalon January 9, 2009.RetrievedDecember 2,2008.
• "The Real Virgil Hilts"onYouTube