Bernard Francis JonesCaptainADVISORY TEAM 91, MACV ADVISORS Army of the United States 13 August 1939 - 16 October 1967 Coalton, West Virginia Panel 28E Line 015 |
|
The database page for Bernard Francis Jones
Bernard, there is an empty place here in West Virginia and our hearts. You are in our thoughts and our prayers always. We know you died doing what you believed in. You are still missed by all.
From his brother, |
Notes from The Virtual WallOn 16 Oct 1967, Captain Jones commanded a "Kit Carson" scout unit operating with the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry, near the village of Ap Lai Khe. Delta 2/28 set out on a reconnaissance-in-force, with the scouts in the lead and Bravo 2/28 in trail. The pertinent portion from the 2/28 web site is quoted below:"We had a group of Kit Carson Scouts - Vietnamese Irregulars led by a U.S. Army Captain ( Captain Jones). He was a solid soldier. I remember talking to him and he telling me what a fine group of people he had as they all looked after one another. He talked of his hope to earn an award for valor, but didn't see much chance of it since he had what most considered a rag-tag group of irregulars. It sounds corny, but the officer and enlisted people were for the most part a highly motivated bunch of folks and placed a lot of reliance and faith on one another. Anyway, he and his group were on the point and picking up all kinds of signs. There was a fairly sizeable contact and he and his group moved forward to "feel things out." Al Welch told me later in the day that as he moved up, he turned to Al and said "Well it looks like the sons-a-bitches are tryin' to kill us again." They did. He took a round through the head shortly thereafter as all hell broke loose. ... we got the word to pull back as air and artillery continued to pound the area. We reversed direction and my trail platoon became point and D Company followed me back to the NDP without further contact. I remember seeing the Kit Carson Scouts carrying their captain's body, wrapped in a poncho and slung under a pole."1LT Albert Clark Welch, mentioned above, was the Commanding Officer of Delta 2/28. The next day, 17 Oct 1967, Alpha 2/28 and Delta 2/28 re-entered the area of the 16 Oct contact. During the ensuing battle 1LT Welch was grieviously wounded, but his actions on the 16th and 17th were sufficient for him to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The Virtual Wall's Ong Thanh memorial summarizes the action and lists the dead. |
The point-of-contact for this memorial is his brother, Bradley K Jones Box 174, Coalton, W Va 26257 coaljos@hotmail.com |
Top of Page
www.VirtualWall.org Back to |
With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 29 Jul 2002
Last updated 11/13/2010