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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Nov '92
John Thomas Jones No. 15615 Class of 1946
Died 2 September 1991 in Arlington, Virginia, aged 67 years.
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
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John Thomas Jones was born 28 September 1923 in
Decherd, Tennessee. He was always known as Tom except to a few
close cadet friends who knew him as J.T. Tom graduated from Franklin
County High School in Winchester, Tennessee in 1942. He was active
in sports in high school, being co-captain of his basketball
team. Tom entered the University of Tennessee, but after two
quarters he was called to active duty from a Reserve status.
While receiving Engineer training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia,
Tom learned his coveted appointment to West Point had come through.
On 1 July 1943, be trudged up the hill from the railroad station
at West Point to join the Class of 1946.
Though West Point was a far cry from small town
life in Tennessee, Tom had little trouble adapting to cadet life.
As with so many of his classmates, his goal was to graduate and
learn as much as he could in order to reach his full potential
as an Army officer. One of his roommates, John J. Schmitt, recalled:
"J.T. was an easygoing, good-natured cadet. He had a great
sense of humor-accepting the good experiences and the adversities
with equal resolve and with a smile. He gained from every experience.
His outlook was always positive. Tom was a loyal friend--caring
and concerned--ready and wanting to help anyone with any problem
at any time." Tom's other roommate, Kibbey Horne, recalled:
"...An easy man to live with, he was always thoughtful of
other people and willing to help where it was needed. As a cadet,
one of his great passions in life was watching sports events.
Schmitt and I used to say that the Academy should have awarded
him an 'A' for spectating."
Following basic Infantry training at Fort Benning,
Georgia, Tom was assigned to Puerto Rico. While traveling back
and forth to the States to visit his family, Tom met a Pan Am
stewardess, Rachel Lamer, whom he started dating. In 1949, Tom
transferred to the Judge Advocate General Corps and was sent
to Columbia Law School. Tom and Rachel Grace (Skeets) Lamer were
married in the West Point Chapel on 21 December 1949. Their first
son, John Thomas, Jr. was born in 1951. After completing his
law degree, Tom was assigned to Headquarters, Third Army at Fort
McPherson, Georgia. A second son, Stephen, was born in Georgia.
Next Tom and Skeets moved to West Point where Tom became an instructor
in the Law Department. During the summer of 1954, Tom developed
bulbar polio and was kept alive in an iron lung. He survived,
but the paralysis and tissue damage sustained would affect him
for the remainder of his life. One result was a restricted air
passage which reduced his voice to a whisper. Tom never complained
about any of this: he faced his condition as he faced every hardship,
with fortitude and a smile. While at West Point. a daughter,
Lucy, was born. From West Point, the Joneses moved to Fort Bliss,
Texas. This tour was followed by assignment to Okinawa. Two additions
to their family, Rachel and Bill, were born during the Okinawa
tour. In 1963, Tom returned to the States for assignment to the
Office of the Judge Advocate General in Washington, DC. In 1967,
Tom volunteered for Vietnam.
Originally slated for a staff job in Saigon, Tom
became the Staff Judge Advocate for Task Force Oregon, which
was to become the Americal Division headquartered in Chu Lai,
Vietnam. Returning to the States, Tom became the Executive Officer,
US Army Judiciary in Washington. In 1973, he was appointed to
the Army Court of Military Review as a senior judge. He served
on the Court until his retirement as a colonel in l976. Tom was
immediately recalled to active duty to serve six more years on
the Court. He retired a second time in 1982 after nine years
as a military appellate judge. After a brief retirement, Tom
joined the administrative office of the United States Courts.
In 1984, he was appointed Chief, Magistrates Division. In May
of 1991, Tom learned he had a brain tumor. Surgery and radiation
treatments were unsuccessful and Tom died 2 September 1991.
He is survived by his wife, Skeets; three sons,
John T. Jr., Lieutenant Colonel, Judge Advocate General Corps;
Stephen, Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Corps; William; and two
daughters. Lucy and Rachel.
John Thomas Jones left behind a legacy of professionalism,
wisdom, strength of character, devotion to a set of high ideals
in every aspect of his life, and respect from all who knew him.
His classmates know what a great person he was, but it is revealing
to learn the respect and admiration he gained from his associates
in the later stages of his career.
William S. Fulton, Jr., now the Clerk of the U.S.
Army Court of Military Review, recalled: "Colonel John T.
Jones served as an appellate military judge on the US Army Court
of Military Review for nine years from 1973-82. The Court sits
in three judge panels, and Tom was the senior judge or presiding
judge of his panel... .It was immediately apparent that all the
judges, not just the two of us on his panel sought his advice.
We turned to him not merely because he had researched and written
on nearly every major appellate issue, but because he was fair
and wise....Only a few judicial opinions, selected for their
contribution to the growth of the law and precedential guidance
of lawyers, judges, and staff judge advocates are published.
In all,140 of Tom's opinions were published..."
James E. Macklin, Jr., Deputy Director, Administrative
office of the United States Courts, remembered that the younger
people in the magistrates division looked to Tom as the expert
in all things. Duane R. Lee, Chief. Court Administration Division,
was Tom's immediate superior when Tom joined the Administrative
Office. He recalled: "...Most of us are lucky if we find
in our lifetime a mentor to guide us on the right path. Usually
our mentor is a particularly talented, long experienced and wise
individual who happens to be our boss. I had the great pleasure
and humbling experience to have my deputy, Tom Jones, some 20
years my senior, as my mentor. I still find myself using his
techniques for managing the office and relating to people. They
have served me and my staff well... I will always remember Tom
Jones. His strength, warmth and friendship will continue with
me throughout my days."
Gary C. Petty, Tom's assistant, recalled: "...Tom
brought a razor sharp intellect and a prodigious memory to the
tasks at hand, and focused on details without ever losing sight
of the 'big picture'... Tom always called them as he saw them,
acting impartially for the good of the federal court system.
He was uniformly courteous to persons from all walks of life,
famous judges and temporary employees alike..."
Tom's "course on earth is run." He leaves
behind a host of friends and admirers. His family will always
treasure their memories of a devoted husband and loving father.
His classmates know that it has been their privilege to be associated
with such an outstanding example of what a West Pointer should
be.
"Well Done, Tom; Be Thou at Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his Family
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