JOHN G. JONES, CAPT, USN
John Jones '21
Lucky Bag
From the 1921 Lucky Bag:
John George Jones
Portage, Wisconsin
"Sugar" "Rummy" "Jonesy"
THE first girl Johnny ever dragged called him Sugar, and he has been that to every one since. And it is all because of the handsome appearance and the unobtrusive pleasantness that a big farm in Wisconsin blessed him with.
Sugar isn't extraordinarily savvy or brilliant, but he is well aware of the fact and that is one of the qualities which makes him such a valuable man. From the time he entered the Academy as a Plebe he has studied hard and consistently, hardly ever making the same mistake twice, with the result that he has risen to the height of three stripes.
But his life here hasn't been entirely one of labor, either, as his presence at every hop will testify. He simply adores feminine beauty, even to the girls in the magazines. And he was never known to have been bricked,—except once, and that time on a Hudson steamer 'neath a starry sky. An angelic-looking little femme stole his first kiss and his watch. Since then he has been a sadder but wiser man, and it would take a wicked line to fool him now.
Jones is sincere, level-headed, and square, and with these qualities he should make a success in the Fleet.
Three Striper; Captain Rifle Team; Rifle Team rNT (3); Expert Rifleman.
The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. John was graduated with 1921A.
John George Jones
Portage, Wisconsin
"Sugar" "Rummy" "Jonesy"
THE first girl Johnny ever dragged called him Sugar, and he has been that to every one since. And it is all because of the handsome appearance and the unobtrusive pleasantness that a big farm in Wisconsin blessed him with.
Sugar isn't extraordinarily savvy or brilliant, but he is well aware of the fact and that is one of the qualities which makes him such a valuable man. From the time he entered the Academy as a Plebe he has studied hard and consistently, hardly ever making the same mistake twice, with the result that he has risen to the height of three stripes.
But his life here hasn't been entirely one of labor, either, as his presence at every hop will testify. He simply adores feminine beauty, even to the girls in the magazines. And he was never known to have been bricked,—except once, and that time on a Hudson steamer 'neath a starry sky. An angelic-looking little femme stole his first kiss and his watch. Since then he has been a sadder but wiser man, and it would take a wicked line to fool him now.
Jones is sincere, level-headed, and square, and with these qualities he should make a success in the Fleet.
Three Striper; Captain Rifle Team; Rifle Team rNT (3); Expert Rifleman.
The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. John was graduated with 1921A.
Loss
John was lost on April 21, 1950 — one day before his 52nd birthday — when the army transport plane he was aboard crashed near Tokyo.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
John studied the German Course at Portage High School. In a smart dialogue at graduation in 1914, he and two classmates, Eva Heberlein and Iva Cuff, gave the Class Prophecy. Here is a snippet from the Portage Daily Register:
“Eva – How did it happen that we three are together tonight? Just ten years ago to a day, too since we graduated from Portage High.
“Iva – And say, we were the three who wrote that class prophecy too, weren’t we? I wonder how many of those predictions ever came true.
“John – I saw one of the members of the class as I came in from Chicago. We had to lay over at one of those little towns down here along the line somewhere and I saw a farmer unloading potatoes at a car on the siding. I watched him until he turned around and you’d never guess who it was –
“Eva and Iva – Well, who?”
John married Dorothy Elizabeth Greenwood on May 14, 1929 in New Orleans. Their sons were John/Jack George and James Patrick.
Before the war, John had special training at Pensacola and qualified as an air observer.
He attended Harvard University 1931-1932 and graduated with the degree Master of Science and Engineering, Electric Communications. He also did communications research at the General Electric laboratories.
During WW II, he was executive officer of the USS Louisville, a heavy cruiser nicknamed the “Lucky Lou.” He finished the war as skipper of USS Sanctuary (AH 17), a hospital ship.
From 1946 to 1948, he was the naval recruiting inspector for the 9th naval district headquartered in Chicago. [Class prophecy came true a little late.]
Per the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, April 22, 1950, the C-54 plane was assigned to the 21st troop carrier squadron in the Philippines and was en route to Tachikawa air base. It had stopped at the big U. S. base on Okinawa, before starting on the final leg of its flight. It radioed it was over Oshima and was running into rain and gusty winds. It crashed on Mt. Hirugatake.
At John’s funeral, eight sailors acted as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers were two admirals, two captains and two commanders.
John’s father James E. died in 1947; his mother was Mary. In 1920 Caledonia, Wisconsin, his brothers were: Glenn, Alve, Charles, and Floyd. His sisters were: Gladys (Mrs. Theodore Elliott of Oregon,) Edna (Mrs. Lewis Stocking of Milwaukee,) and Florence (Mrs. Webster Johnson of Cedarburg.)
He was survived by his wife, Dorothea (married 1929), and two sons. John is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Photographs
From the Wisconsin State Journal on April 24, 1950
Career
From Minter Exchange:
Capt. JONES, was born 22 Apr 1898 at the town of Caledonia, Columbia County, Wisconsin, the son of a farmer. He attended country schools then Portage High School, where he graduated in 1914 when he was only sixteen years of age.
He entered the Naval Academy in 1917, and graduated in 1920 with rank of Ensign. Later, he attended Harvard University and graduated there in 1932 with a degree of Master of Science and Engineering, Electric Communications. Early in his naval career he served a tour on the first aircraft carrier. He served as executive officer of the destroyer Perry, now a mine sweeper, then was in the bureau of engineering in the Navy Department, then commanded the destroyer Long, now a mine sweeper, until June, 1940, when he reported to the bureau of ships in Washington. Later he was assigned a command at sea as commodore of a destroyer group, in addition to numerous other sea duty posts.
Capt. JONES died 21 Apr 1950 in the crash of a C-54 U.S. Army transport plane while it was approaching the airport for a landing at Tokyo, Japan, after completing a flight from Manila, Philippine Islands. At the time Capt. JONES was assigned as chief of staff to Adm. Francis P OLD, Commander of Naval Forces in the Philippines. Capt. JONES was slated to retire in June of that year with rank of Rear Admiral He was buried, subsequently, at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on 5 July 1950, with members of his family in attendance.
John was commanding officer of USS Long (DD 209) from June 1937 to September 1939.
From the Portage Daily Register, September 29, 1943 via researcher Kathy Franz:
Navy Building Morale and Patriotism Officer Says
Commander J. G. Jones Here on Leave Says Boys In Service Know What They’re Fighting For
“If there’s one thing the Navy has taught the men who touch the outer rims of the world on cruisers, destroyers, convoy and troop ships, it’s a realization of what they have to fight for.” Commander J. G. Jones stated in an interview yesterday on the basis of more than twenty years of service in the navy and some desperate action in the Pacific theatre during the present war.
“Twenty-six years in the Navy have shown me,” he said, “that no matter how civilized and advanced any country might be, it still can’t compare to the U.S.A. And many of the boys who thought foreign countries offered the best opportunities before the war, after seeing them know that the grass is still greener over here.”
Commander Jones has seen action in the South Pacific and in the waters of the Alaskan area. He has served on ships of various types, destroyers and aviation boats, but his experiences in this war have been mostly on the “Lucky Lou,” heavy cruiser. When the war broke out in April, 1942, he was on duty in Washington, D. C. Later as an executive officer on a heavy cruiser, operating in the Pacific, he was then assigned to take his ship to Alaskan waters and was operating there when the Japanese occupied Attu and Kiska and raided Dutch Harbor early in June, 1942.
He remained in Alaskan waters until October, 1942, and then returned to duty in the South Pacific. Six months later he was back in the Alaskan area and took part in the return of Attu and Kiska to the American flag.
“War conditions under which men are fighting in the South Pacific are the worst in history,” he said. “Jungle conditions are beyond description with the terrific heat, swarms of flies, gnats, and other vermin. The jungle itself in most places must either be climbed through or hacked through, to walk through is impossible. It furnishes perfect cover for the type of fighting the Japanese are best at.” That statement could be made, he said, thinking of all the wars that have gone down in history. And if any of the food-rationed civilians wonder what happens to the food they can’t buy, it’s going to the fighting men in places like the South Pacific. “Food is excellent, really fine,” Jones said.
When asked about specific actions he had seen, Commander Jones said he was not “permitted to speak freely,” but that his ship was in a column directly behind the heavy cruiser, Chicago, when it was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese planes during a night attack. This night torpedoing is a new form of warfare, he stated, introduced by the Japanese in that area and was “carried out with great skill and the utmost determination. Japanese planes came through withering anti-aircraft fire to drop torpedoes and continued in most cases to a flaming death.” Two such flaming planes nearly struck the deck of Jones’ ship in their crash. After the attack the disabled Chicago was taken in tow, but was so low in the water that towing was most difficult and the Chicago was finally lost the following day by Japanese planes putting five more torpedoes in her in a matter of seconds.
Lucky Lou Escapes
The “Lucky Lou” again escaped damage in the South Pacific, when, a few miles south of Guadalcanal, an Australian cruiser, operating with the task force was hit and severely damaged. “Jap subs were plentiful in those waters,” he added, “but the destroyers’ anti-submarine screen kept them down and made torpedoing difficult and inaccurate.” Many times torpedo tracks were seen close aboard, though generally at night when the subs had a better opportunity to attack.
Bombardment of many enemy shore installations in the Solomon Islands are in the Pacific and enemy batteries on Attu and Kiska in Alaskan waters have gone to the “Lucky Lou’s” credit. “Men under fire, even for the first time, show no evidence of panic,” Jones said, “they feel fortunate in having the opportunity to fight for so wonderful a country. And while it is the great wish of all our men in far-flung armies and navies, to get back home, there’s nothing wrong with their morale, that a few days leave, such as I am enjoying in God’s country, would not cure.”
Commander Jones is now on a brief leave before returning to the east coast to be assigned to duty. He spent part of his time in Texas, with his wife and two children, Jack Greenwood, 13, and James Pat, 11. Mrs. Jones will accompany him to the coast where she will visit friends around Washington and New York during the brief interval when Commander Jones may still be on the east coast. His two sons remained in Texas.
The three sisters and four brothers of Commander Jones are living in Wisconsin . . .
Value of Blood Plasma
Jones said he personally had observed the benefits of the blood plasma collected by the Red Cross. “A man’s life was saved aboard ship by the prompt use of blood plasma,” he said, “when during a Japanese dive bombing attack on a task force of which my ship was part on Jan. 5, one seaman’s arm was practically severed by flying schrapnel, resulted in a heavy loss of blood. It would have been fatal but for the use of plasma. Another’s life was saved on board the ‘Lucky Lou’ six weeks later when a man was badly injured in a shell hoist accident. These are only two of innumerable cases where the ready availability of blood plasma has saved some boy’s life.”
Wife's Obituary
From Minter Exchange:
Elizabeth GREENWOOD lived at Sulphur Springs, Wichita Falls, Dallas and Houston, all in Texas, before her marriage. She earned a certificate in Domestic Science from King-Smith Studio-School at Washington, DC, in 1928. She was married to a career Navy man, Capt. J. G. JONES, who met an untimely death in the crash of an Army transport plane near Tokyo Japan, in April, 1950, shortly before he was to retire as a Rear Admiral. During W W II Elizabeth volunteered her time and served as a Gray Lady in the American Red Cross, ministering to the men in service who were patients in the various military hospitals in the area. After the end of the war, she joined the Bluebird Circle, a charitable organization that raised money from a resale shop, and from other projects to help the poor. And now in her late eighties, Elizabeth makes her home at Houston, Texas. She has had an interesting life with lots of travel. She has two sons who, themselves, have families living near her. She is very interested in promoting pride of family heritage to her progeny.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
January 1921
January 1922
May 1923
July 1923
September 1923
November 1923
January 1924
March 1924
January 1925
March 1925
May 1925
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
LT Samuel Arthur '20 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2)
October 1926
January 1927
LT Frederick Buse '20 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6)
LTjg Harry Brandenburger '21 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 2)
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 1)
April 1927
LTjg James Carney '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1)
October 1927
LT Paul Thompson '19 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LT James Carney '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Fitzhugh Rhea '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Richard Moss '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
January 1928
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
LT Edwin Conway '20
LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20
LT Stephen Cooke '21
LT James Carney '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
April 1929
LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20
LT James Carney '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
July 1929
LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20
LT James Carney '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24
LTjg Walter Dey '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
October 1929
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Walter Dey '24
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
LTjg Claude Haman '26
January 1930
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Theodore Marshall '24
LTjg Walter Dey '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
April 1930
LT James Carney '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Theodore Marshall '24
LTjg Walter Dey '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
October 1930
1LT David Claude '24 (Marine Barracks, Naval Academy)
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
LCDR Robert English '11
LT Joseph Severyns, Jr. '20
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LT John French '22
LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
January 1933
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Robert Patten '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
January 1935
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Carl Lindgren '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
April 1935
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
John is one of 32 members of the Class of 1921 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
