Dee Jones

These awards are based on the information below and per applicable DoD Directives and Awards Manuals:
American Campaign Service Medal Awarded for military service within the American Theater between December 7, 1941 and March 2, 1946.
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal Awarded for military service for service within the European-African-MiddleEastern Theater between December 7, 1941 and November 8, 1945.
World War II Victory Medal Awarded for military service between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946, both dates inclusive.

Note 1. The death location, "European Theater of Operations" is based on the following limited information:
A. FindAGrave.com Memorial 36906256. "Ensign D. Jones, USNR, designated Naval Aviator #9373 in 1941."
B. Alabama States Summary of War Casualties "JONES, Dee, Lt (jg), USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Jones, RFD 1, Double Springs, Ala".
C. The New England Aviation History website, newenglandaviationhistory.com, has this entry:
    "Lt. (Jg.) Dee Jones, the third New Paltz pilot, was also a combat veteran of Operation Torch in Northern Africa. He was killed May 4, 1943, when his plane crashed during gunnery training."
D. Operation Torch was the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942.

It is not known if his death on May 4, 1943 actually occured in North Africa, however as the U.S. Navy policy in 1946 was only supposed to list deaths "...resulting directly for enemy action or from operational activities against the enemy in war zones..." would support the location theory of North Africa.

As noted above, the only documentation available at this time would indicate that the death was not a combat fatality, but a training accident that would accurately identify the death as occurring 'from operational activities in a war zone'. The implied award of the Purple Heart medal is being reserved pending discovery of supporting records, documents or other family declarations.

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