Difference between revisions of "David C. Jones"

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{{person
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|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_C._Jones
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_C._Jones
|birth_date=1921-07-09
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|birth_date=July 9, 1921
 
|birth_place=Aberdeen, South Dakota
 
|birth_place=Aberdeen, South Dakota
|death_date=2013-08-10
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|death_date=August 10, 2013
 
|death_place=Potomac Falls, Virginia
 
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'''David Charles Jones''' was a [[United States Air Force]] [[General (United States)|general]] and the ninth [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]].<ref name=obit>https://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/home/index.cfm?action=public%3Aobituaries.view&o_id=2192055&fh_id=11079 </ref> In this capacity, General Jones served as the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States military forces.<ref name=":0" /> Prior to serving as Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jones served as the ninth [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force]] and fifteenth [[List of commanders of USAFE|Commander of The]] [[United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa|United States Air Force in Europe]].<ref name=":5">https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/106590/general-david-c-jones/</ref>
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Jones was best known for his effort in-order to make the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman position broader and rather than just the head of Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nations highest-ranking military officers, but as The [[President of the United States|President]], The [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] and The [[National Security Council]] primary military advisors.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> Following his retirement as Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and from active-duty, General Jones continued to emphasize the importance of this act which ultimately leading to the passage of [[Goldwater–Nichols Act|Goldwater-Nichols Act]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" />
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==Early life==
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Born in [[Aberdeen, South Dakota]], and raised in [[Minot, North Dakota]], Jones graduated from [[Minot High School]] and attended both the [[University of North Dakota]] in [[Grand Forks, North Dakota|Grand Forks]] and [[Minot State University|Minot State Teacher's College]]. While attending college, he received his private pilot license from the [[Civilian Pilot Training Program]]. In April 1942, he left college to join the [[United States Army Air Forces]].<ref name=":4">https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/us/gen-david-c-jones-former-joint-chiefs-chairman-is-dead-at-92.htm</ref>
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==Military career==
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[[File:David C. Jones in front of Strategic Air Command B-52.jpg|thumb|222x222px|Colonel David C. Jones (third from right) at [[Barksdale Air Force Base|Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana]] while serving at The [[Strategic Air Command]] in January 1957.|alt=|left]]In February 1943, Jones graduated from [[Walker Air Force Base|Roswell Army Airfield]] flight school in [[New Mexico]], received his [[Aircrew brevet|pilot wings]], and was commissioned a [[second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in the United States Army Air Forces. After serving as a flying instructor in New Mexico, [[Arizona]] and [[Texas]], Jones was assigned to the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron of the Fifth Air Force in Japan in 1945. He began as a unit pilot, flying [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Catalina flying boats]], and rose to command the squadron.
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From 1948 to 1949 Jones was a unit instructor and then assistant operations and training officer with the 2236th Air Force Reserve Training Center, [[Godman Army Airfield|Godman Field, Kentucky]]. Also during this period, he attended specialized professional military training courses.
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Jones was assigned to the [[19th Special Operations Squadron|19th Bombardment Squadron]] at [[March Joint Air Reserve Base|March AFB]], [[California]], in January 1950. During his years with the 19th, he rose to aircraft commander, then operations officer and finally commander of the squadron. He flew more than 300 hours on combat missions over [[North Korea]], when the squadron was one of the first bombardment units committed to the Korean War. In May 1953 he transitioned from bombers to tankers, taking command of the [[22d Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron|22nd Air Refueling Squadron]] at March. Promoted to [[lieutenant colonel]] in June 1953, he remained at March but returned to bombers the following year as commander of the [[33d Flying Training Squadron|33rd Bombardment Squadron]].<ref>Joint History Office (2000), ''The Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1949–1999'' {{ISBN|0-16-050638-7}}</ref>
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Jones next served at [[Strategic Air Command|Headquarters Strategic Air Command]] (SAC), [[Offutt AFB]], [[Nebraska]], during SAC's build-up period. He was assigned initially in September 1954 as an operations planner in the bomber mission branch and remained there until January 1955, when General [[Curtis E. LeMay|Curtis LeMay]] selected him as his aide. Promoted to [[colonel]] in April 1957, Jones became director of materiel and later deputy commander for maintenance of SAC's [[93d Air-Ground Operations Wing|93rd Bombardment Wing]] at [[Castle Air Force Base|Castle AFB]], California.
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Jones was a 1960 graduate of the [[National War College]]. Following that, Jones was assigned to the Air Staff's operations directorate for four years. As chief of the manned systems branch, he worked on the [[North American XB-70 Valkyrie|B-70]] bomber project. He then served as deputy chief and chief of the Strategic Division. After [[North American F-100 Super Sabre|F-100]] and [[Douglas F4D Skyray|F-4]] training, Jones assumed command of the [[33d Fighter Wing|33rd Tactical Fighter Wing]], [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin AFB]], [[Florida]], at its activation in 1965 and bought it to operational status.
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Jones then served in key staff assignments with [[United States Air Forces in Europe]]. He received his second star in November 1967. In February 1969 Jones was assigned to Headquarters Seventh Air Force, [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base|Tan Son Nhut Airfield]], [[Vietnam]], as deputy chief of staff for operations and became vice commander in June. Promoted to [[lieutenant general]], he returned to SAC in August 1969 as commander of the [[Second Air Force]], headquartered at [[Barksdale Air Force Base|Barksdale AFB]], [[Louisiana]].
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In April 1971, Jones returned to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) as vice commander in chief. He assumed command of USAFE and the [[Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force]] in August and was promoted to [[General (United States)|general]] in September. In his [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO) capacity as commander of the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force, Jones directed an international planning team that integrated central region air forces into a more cohesive organization. Key to that effort was his creation of a small operational and planning headquarters, [[Allied Air Command|Allied Air Force, Central Europe]].
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== United States Air Force Chief of Staff ==
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[[File:General David C. Jones and Senator Barry Goldwater.jpg|left|thumb|222x222px|Air Force Chief of Staff General David C. Jones with U.S. Senator [[Barry Goldwater]].]]
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Capping a career that had included operational and command positions in bomber, tanker, training and tactical fighter units as well as headquarters staff positions, General Jones was nominated by President [[Richard Nixon]] as the ninth [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force]] in July 1974, following the appointment of General George S. Brown as the eight Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force, General Jones responsible for administering, training and equipping all of the airmen employing in the world's largest Air Force.<ref name=":5" /> During his tenure as Air Force Chief of Staff General Jones also advocated for the development of high-technology of future weapons systems and also reorganized the Air Force command structure.<ref name=":0" /> He supported modernization with such systems as the [[F-15]], [[F-16]], the [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A–10]], and the [[Boeing E-3 Sentry|E–3A]]. [[File:General David Jones showing the Cambodia Aerial Photograph during The National Security Council at the Mayaguez Incident.jpg|thumb|General David C. Jones briefed the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] at the [[White House]], during The [[Mayaguez incident|Mayaguez Incident]] on May 12, 1975.|alt=|247x247px]][[File:Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown and Air Force Chief of Staff General David C. Jones.jpg|thumb|232x232px|[[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|United States Air Force Chief of Staff]] General David C. Jones with [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General [[George Scratchley Brown|George S. Brown]] at [[White House|The White House]], in 1977.|alt=]]General Jones emphasized the needs of modernized the Air Force following the end of the Vietnam War and in order to stop the Soviet armored thrust. As a result, the Fairchild A-10 Warthog aircraft was built to become the primary survivable tank killer. Followed by the [[General Dynamics–Grumman EF-111A Raven|General Dynamics EF-111]] to counter Soviet air mobile defenses, along with the [[Boeing E-3 Sentry]] AWACS which served to provide picture and detail of the airborne battlefield.<ref name=":6">https://www.airforcemag.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2014/August%202014/0814jones.pdf</ref> Much of the modernization program was focused on the European area, where the United States developed initiatives in response to [[Georgia Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and congressional interest for an increase in the capability of NATO.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" />
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During his tenure as Air Force Chief of Staff General Jones also oversaw the improvements in the working relationship between the Air Force, Army and Navy. General Jones also developed an emerging concepts of air and ground integration that would eventually result in the Air-Land Battle Doctrine.<ref name=":6" /> The concepts and the Battle Doctrine was developed in-order to oppose the growing Soviet conventional threat within the Central Europe.<ref name=":6" /> In May 1975 following a cable from [[Embassy of the United States, Jakarta|United States Embassy in Jakarta]], [[Indonesia]] which informed an SOS and Mayday signals from a U.S. merchant vessel [[SS Mayaguez]] that has been attacked and seized by [[Khmer Rouge]] militia following their [[Fall of Phnom Penh|took control of Cambodian Capital Phnom Penh]], this event lead to a military crisis known as the [[Mayaguez incident]].<ref name=":7">Lamb, Christopher (June 21, 2019). The Mayaguez Crisis, Mission Command, and Civil-Military Relations. Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. </ref> During the incident, General David C. Jones served as the acting-Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff due to General George S. Brown the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman was in Europe for NATO Summitt at that time of the Mayaguez Incident.<ref name=":7" /> General Jones advised President [[Gerald Ford]], Secretary of Defense [[James Schlesinger]] and The [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] a range of military options, including the plan for military operations to rescue the crew of SS Mayaguez. The United States initially launch a rescue operation, by deploying U.S. Marines to recaptured the SS Mayaguez Ship and also attacked the island of Koh Tang on which it was believed where the crew of SS Mayaquez was held imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge.<ref name=":7" /> The crew of the SS Mayaquez was finally rescued, however General Jones saw a complex communication and relationship between the military and the civilian officials during the Mayaquez incident. The Mayaquez crisis was the one that eventually inspired General Jones of the need for change within the military and civilian relationship, especially during a military crisis and wartime situation.<ref name=":7" /> This what was became crucial factor in the enactment of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act.<ref name=":7" /> On May 31, 1978, Jones was awarded the [[Order of the Sword (United States)|Order of the Sword]], the Air Force enlisted force's highest honor for officer leadership.<ref name=":6" />
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== Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ==
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[[File:Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones during a Press Briefing.jpg|left|thumb|222x222px|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones during a Press Briefing in [[The Pentagon]].|alt=]]
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General David C. Jones was nominated by President [[Jimmy Carter]] to become [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] on 21 June 1978, replacing General [[George Scratchley Brown|George S. Brown]] who retired due to ill health.<ref name=":0">https://www.jcs.mil/About/The-Joint-Staff/Chairman/General-David-Charles-Jones/</ref> General Jones became the only Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was not graduate from either a college or service academy.<ref name=":1"> Perry, Mark (March 1, 1989). Four Stars: The Inside Story of The Forty-Year Battle Between The Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.</ref><ref name=":0" /> General Jones became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during a period of increasing Soviet military arsenal and the emerging of [[Islamic terrorism|Muslim-militia]] within the [[Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf region]] that was deemed as a threat within the Western World nations.<ref name=":0" /> General David C. Jones also oversaw the increased funding for defense in response to the Soviet threat and due to the continuing Joint Chiefs of Staff advocacy of strategic force modernization.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />[[File:General David C. Jones Retirement Ceremony.jpg|thumb|222x222px|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones with [[Vice President of the United States|U.S. Vice President]] [[George H. W. Bush|George H.W. Bush]] and [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Caspar Weinberger]] at [[Andrews Air Force Base]].|alt=]]Jones accompanied President [[Jimmy Carter]] to [[Vienna]], Austria, in June 1979 for the final stage of the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II]] negotiations with the [[USSR]]. When the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan raised fears that Soviet forces there might move into neighboring Iran, where an anti-Western militant [[Islamic]] regime had taken power in early 1979, Carter created a rapid deployment force for [[Southwest Asia]] to counter any such attempt in the region. Subsequently, at the direction of the secretary of defense, Jones oversaw planning for the transformation of the [[Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force|Rapid Defense Force]] into a regional unified command. The planning for what in 1983 became the [[United States Central Command]] (USCENTCOM) was essentially completed during his chairmanship.[[Image:Carter Brezhnev sign SALT II.jpg|thumb|Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones (in Air Force uniform) accompanying President Jimmy Carter at the signing of the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks|SALT II]] treaty, 18 June 1979, in [[Vienna]].|222x222px|alt=|left]]Jones also oversaw the planning for the rescue of the [[U.S. embassy]] personnel taken hostage in November 1979 by followers of the Iranian leader [[Ayatollah Khomeini]], and he survived the criticism for that rescue mission's failure. During his second term as chairman, Jones worked to make the chairman, rather than the corporate JCS, the principal military adviser to the president and the secretary of defense, arguing that such a change of the [[National Security Act of 1947|National Security Act]] would improve the quality and timeliness of military advice and the combined readiness and effectiveness of the nation's combat forces. Jones continued his efforts toward that goal after his retirement as chairman of the JCS and saw it come to fruition with the passage of the [[Goldwater-Nichols Act|Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act]] in 1986.[[File:The Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1981.jpg|thumb|[[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General David C. Jones with the other members of [[Joint Chiefs of Staff|The Joint Chiefs of Staff]] at [[The Pentagon]] in 1981.|alt=|222x222px]]
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[[File:Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones Piloting a Lockheed VC-140B JetStar.jpg|thumb|222x222px|[[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General David C. Jones Piloting a [[United States Air Force]] [[Lockheed JetStar|Lockheed VC-140B JetStar]].]]
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Jones continued to served as [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] during the first years of [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Ronald Reagan's Presidency]] in 1981.<ref name=":1" /> He retired from active-duty within the [[United States Air Force]] after his second term period as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff finished on June 18, 1982.<ref name=":0" /> In 1989 military history book ''Four Stars: The Inside Story of The Forty-Year Battle Between The Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders'', historian [[Mark Perry (author)|Mark Perry]] wrote that General David C. Jones had earned a reputation as "a good service manager" who "welcomed change" during his tenure as both [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff]] and [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]].<ref name=":1" /> Jones served for four years as Air Force Chief of Staff under three different Presidents, Nixon, Ford and Carter and served for four years as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under two different Presidents, Carter and Reagan. Making his tenure within The Joint Chiefs of Staff longer than any of his predecessor on the Joint Chiefs of Staff history.<ref name=":0" />
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Jones was awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] of humane letters degree from the [[University of Nebraska at Omaha]] in 1974, an honorary doctorate of laws degree from [[Louisiana Tech University]] in 1975, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree from [[Minot State University|Minot State College]] in 1979. Jones received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] presented by Awards Council member [[Roger Staubach]] in 1979.<ref>https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service</ref><ref>https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Salt-Lake-Tribune-June-24-1979.pdf</ref><ref>https://achievement.org/our-history/</ref> Jones was the final Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be decorated for service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
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Jones was a member of the [[Air Force Association]], the Falcon Foundation, the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], the [[Alfalfa Club]], the [[Bohemian Club]] and the [[The Family (Christian political organization)|Family]].<ref>Jeff Sharlet, ''The Family'' (Harper, 2008), p. 281</ref>
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==Personal life and death==
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In 1942, he married Lois Tarbell (1921–2009). They had three children, two daughters Susan and Kathy; and a son, David Curtis.<ref name=":3"https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/us/gen-david-c-jones-former-joint-chiefs-chairman-is-dead-at-92.html</ref>
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{{SMWDocs}}
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}
{{Stub}}
 

Revision as of 23:55, 25 April 2021

Person.png David C. Jones  Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(officer)
David C Jones official portrait.jpg
BornJuly 9, 1921
Aberdeen, South Dakota
DiedAugust 10, 2013 (Age 92)
Potomac Falls, Virginia

Employment.png Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
June 21, 1978 - June 18, 1982
BossCaspar Weinberger
Preceded byGeorge S. Brown
Succeeded byJohn Vessey

David Charles Jones was a United States Air Force general and the ninth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[1] In this capacity, General Jones served as the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States military forces.[2] Prior to serving as Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jones served as the ninth Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force and fifteenth Commander of The United States Air Force in Europe.[3]

Jones was best known for his effort in-order to make the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman position broader and rather than just the head of Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nations highest-ranking military officers, but as The President, The Secretary of Defense and The National Security Council primary military advisors.[4][5] Following his retirement as Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and from active-duty, General Jones continued to emphasize the importance of this act which ultimately leading to the passage of Goldwater-Nichols Act.[4][5]

Early life

Born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and raised in Minot, North Dakota, Jones graduated from Minot High School and attended both the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and Minot State Teacher's College. While attending college, he received his private pilot license from the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In April 1942, he left college to join the United States Army Air Forces.[5]

Military career

Colonel David C. Jones (third from right) at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana while serving at The Strategic Air Command in January 1957.

In February 1943, Jones graduated from Roswell Army Airfield flight school in New Mexico, received his pilot wings, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces. After serving as a flying instructor in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, Jones was assigned to the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron of the Fifth Air Force in Japan in 1945. He began as a unit pilot, flying Catalina flying boats, and rose to command the squadron.

From 1948 to 1949 Jones was a unit instructor and then assistant operations and training officer with the 2236th Air Force Reserve Training Center, Godman Field, Kentucky. Also during this period, he attended specialized professional military training courses.

Jones was assigned to the 19th Bombardment Squadron at March AFB, California, in January 1950. During his years with the 19th, he rose to aircraft commander, then operations officer and finally commander of the squadron. He flew more than 300 hours on combat missions over North Korea, when the squadron was one of the first bombardment units committed to the Korean War. In May 1953 he transitioned from bombers to tankers, taking command of the 22nd Air Refueling Squadron at March. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in June 1953, he remained at March but returned to bombers the following year as commander of the 33rd Bombardment Squadron.[6]

Jones next served at Headquarters Strategic Air Command (SAC), Offutt AFB, Nebraska, during SAC's build-up period. He was assigned initially in September 1954 as an operations planner in the bomber mission branch and remained there until January 1955, when General Curtis LeMay selected him as his aide. Promoted to colonel in April 1957, Jones became director of materiel and later deputy commander for maintenance of SAC's 93rd Bombardment Wing at Castle AFB, California.

Jones was a 1960 graduate of the National War College. Following that, Jones was assigned to the Air Staff's operations directorate for four years. As chief of the manned systems branch, he worked on the B-70 bomber project. He then served as deputy chief and chief of the Strategic Division. After F-100 and F-4 training, Jones assumed command of the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida, at its activation in 1965 and bought it to operational status.

Jones then served in key staff assignments with United States Air Forces in Europe. He received his second star in November 1967. In February 1969 Jones was assigned to Headquarters Seventh Air Force, Tan Son Nhut Airfield, Vietnam, as deputy chief of staff for operations and became vice commander in June. Promoted to lieutenant general, he returned to SAC in August 1969 as commander of the Second Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.

In April 1971, Jones returned to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) as vice commander in chief. He assumed command of USAFE and the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force in August and was promoted to general in September. In his North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) capacity as commander of the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force, Jones directed an international planning team that integrated central region air forces into a more cohesive organization. Key to that effort was his creation of a small operational and planning headquarters, Allied Air Force, Central Europe.

United States Air Force Chief of Staff

Air Force Chief of Staff General David C. Jones with U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater.

Capping a career that had included operational and command positions in bomber, tanker, training and tactical fighter units as well as headquarters staff positions, General Jones was nominated by President Richard Nixon as the ninth Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force in July 1974, following the appointment of General George S. Brown as the eight Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force, General Jones responsible for administering, training and equipping all of the airmen employing in the world's largest Air Force.[3] During his tenure as Air Force Chief of Staff General Jones also advocated for the development of high-technology of future weapons systems and also reorganized the Air Force command structure.[2] He supported modernization with such systems as the F-15, F-16, the A–10, and the E–3A.

General David C. Jones briefed the National Security Council at the White House, during The Mayaguez Incident on May 12, 1975.

General Jones emphasized the needs of modernized the Air Force following the end of the Vietnam War and in order to stop the Soviet armored thrust. As a result, the Fairchild A-10 Warthog aircraft was built to become the primary survivable tank killer. Followed by the General Dynamics EF-111 to counter Soviet air mobile defenses, along with the Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS which served to provide picture and detail of the airborne battlefield.[7] Much of the modernization program was focused on the European area, where the United States developed initiatives in response to Department of Defense and congressional interest for an increase in the capability of NATO.[2][7]

During his tenure as Air Force Chief of Staff General Jones also oversaw the improvements in the working relationship between the Air Force, Army and Navy. General Jones also developed an emerging concepts of air and ground integration that would eventually result in the Air-Land Battle Doctrine.[7] The concepts and the Battle Doctrine was developed in-order to oppose the growing Soviet conventional threat within the Central Europe.[7] In May 1975 following a cable from United States Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia which informed an SOS and Mayday signals from a U.S. merchant vessel SS Mayaguez that has been attacked and seized by Khmer Rouge militia following their took control of Cambodian Capital Phnom Penh, this event lead to a military crisis known as the Mayaguez incident.[8] During the incident, General David C. Jones served as the acting-Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff due to General George S. Brown the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman was in Europe for NATO Summitt at that time of the Mayaguez Incident.[8] General Jones advised President Gerald Ford, Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger and The National Security Council a range of military options, including the plan for military operations to rescue the crew of SS Mayaguez. The United States initially launch a rescue operation, by deploying U.S. Marines to recaptured the SS Mayaguez Ship and also attacked the island of Koh Tang on which it was believed where the crew of SS Mayaquez was held imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge.[8] The crew of the SS Mayaquez was finally rescued, however General Jones saw a complex communication and relationship between the military and the civilian officials during the Mayaquez incident. The Mayaquez crisis was the one that eventually inspired General Jones of the need for change within the military and civilian relationship, especially during a military crisis and wartime situation.[8] This what was became crucial factor in the enactment of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act.[8] On May 31, 1978, Jones was awarded the Order of the Sword, the Air Force enlisted force's highest honor for officer leadership.[7]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones during a Press Briefing in The Pentagon.

General David C. Jones was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 21 June 1978, replacing General George S. Brown who retired due to ill health.[2] General Jones became the only Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was not graduate from either a college or service academy.[4][2] General Jones became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during a period of increasing Soviet military arsenal and the emerging of Muslim-militia within the Persian Gulf region that was deemed as a threat within the Western World nations.[2] General David C. Jones also oversaw the increased funding for defense in response to the Soviet threat and due to the continuing Joint Chiefs of Staff advocacy of strategic force modernization.[4][2]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones with U.S. Vice President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger at Andrews Air Force Base.

Jones accompanied President Jimmy Carter to Vienna, Austria, in June 1979 for the final stage of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II negotiations with the USSR. When the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan raised fears that Soviet forces there might move into neighboring Iran, where an anti-Western militant Islamic regime had taken power in early 1979, Carter created a rapid deployment force for Southwest Asia to counter any such attempt in the region. Subsequently, at the direction of the secretary of defense, Jones oversaw planning for the transformation of the Rapid Defense Force into a regional unified command. The planning for what in 1983 became the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) was essentially completed during his chairmanship.

Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones (in Air Force uniform) accompanying President Jimmy Carter at the signing of the SALT II treaty, 18 June 1979, in Vienna.

Jones also oversaw the planning for the rescue of the U.S. embassy personnel taken hostage in November 1979 by followers of the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, and he survived the criticism for that rescue mission's failure. During his second term as chairman, Jones worked to make the chairman, rather than the corporate JCS, the principal military adviser to the president and the secretary of defense, arguing that such a change of the National Security Act would improve the quality and timeliness of military advice and the combined readiness and effectiveness of the nation's combat forces. Jones continued his efforts toward that goal after his retirement as chairman of the JCS and saw it come to fruition with the passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act in 1986.

Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones with the other members of The Joint Chiefs of Staff at The Pentagon in 1981.

Jones continued to served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first years of Ronald Reagan's Presidency in 1981.[4] He retired from active-duty within the United States Air Force after his second term period as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff finished on June 18, 1982.[2] In 1989 military history book Four Stars: The Inside Story of The Forty-Year Battle Between The Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders, historian Mark Perry wrote that General David C. Jones had earned a reputation as "a good service manager" who "welcomed change" during his tenure as both U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[4] Jones served for four years as Air Force Chief of Staff under three different Presidents, Nixon, Ford and Carter and served for four years as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under two different Presidents, Carter and Reagan. Making his tenure within The Joint Chiefs of Staff longer than any of his predecessor on the Joint Chiefs of Staff history.[2]

Jones was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1974, an honorary doctorate of laws degree from Louisiana Tech University in 1975, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree from Minot State College in 1979. Jones received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Roger Staubach in 1979.[9][10][11] Jones was the final Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be decorated for service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Jones was a member of the Air Force Association, the Falcon Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Alfalfa Club, the Bohemian Club and the Family.[12]

Personal life and death

In 1942, he married Lois Tarbell (1921–2009). They had three children, two daughters Susan and Kathy; and a son, David Curtis.<ref name=":3"https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/us/gen-david-c-jones-former-joint-chiefs-chairman-is-dead-at-92.html</ref>


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References

  1. https://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/home/index.cfm?action=public%3Aobituaries.view&o_id=2192055&fh_id=11079
  2. a b c d e f g h i https://www.jcs.mil/About/The-Joint-Staff/Chairman/General-David-Charles-Jones/
  3. a b https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/106590/general-david-c-jones/
  4. a b c d e f Perry, Mark (March 1, 1989). Four Stars: The Inside Story of The Forty-Year Battle Between The Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  5. a b c https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/us/gen-david-c-jones-former-joint-chiefs-chairman-is-dead-at-92.htm
  6. Joint History Office (2000), The Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1949–1999 ISBN 0-16-050638-7
  7. a b c d e https://www.airforcemag.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2014/August%202014/0814jones.pdf
  8. a b c d e Lamb, Christopher (June 21, 2019). The Mayaguez Crisis, Mission Command, and Civil-Military Relations. Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  9. https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service
  10. https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Salt-Lake-Tribune-June-24-1979.pdf
  11. https://achievement.org/our-history/
  12. Jeff Sharlet, The Family (Harper, 2008), p. 281