Junius Wallace Jones, B. S., (April 3, 1890 – February 14, 1977) was a
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. He was the Air Inspector (a precursor to
Inspector General
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
) for the Air Force when it was formed in 1947.
Early life
Jones was born at Centenaria, the former home of the President of
Centenary College, in
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson is a town in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,842 at the 2010 U.S. census, down from 4,130 in 2000; the 2020 population estimates program determined Jackson had a population of 3,707. It is part of ...
on April 3, 1890, to Philip Huff Jones, M.D.
[Jones, Philip Huff](_blank)
In Alcée Fortier, Ed. ''Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form'' (volume 3), Century Historical Association, 1914: pp. 211-2. and Annabelle Smith, the second-born of five children.
[Mike Miller]
Junius Wallace Jones
LA Gen Web, 1914. Jones was descended from a prominent local family, his paternal grandfather was
John Welch Jones, MD.
[John Welch Jones, MD](_blank)
In: Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. (ed.), ''Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form'' (volume 3), Century Historical Association, 1914: pp. 210–211. having been director of the
East Louisiana State Hospital The East Louisiana State Hospital is a state-operated mental hospital located on Louisiana Highway 10, a short distance east of the town of Jackson, Louisiana in East Feliciana Parish.
History
The hospital was created by the Louisiana Legislatur ...
(then called the Insane Asylum of Louisiana) and his maternal grandfather having been a plantation owner.
![Junius Wallace Jones (1890–1977) at West Point in 1913](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Junius_Wallace_Jones_%281890%E2%80%931977%29_at_West_Point_in_1913.png)
Jones came from a family with a military tradition. Jones descended directly from three soldiers, Samuel Jones, Thomas Jackson, and Samuel Hilton, who served in the
Revolutionary War with General
Francis Marion
Brigadier-General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the Swamp Fox, was an American military officer, planter and politician who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Ameri ...
,
known as "the swamp fox".
His grandfather, John Welch Jones, was in the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
and served the army of the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
as captain of a company of cavalry, the Plains Cavalry, which he organized.
[Philip Huff Jones](_blank)
In: Chambers Henry E. ''A History of Louisiana'' (Volume 2). New York: American Historical Society, Inc, 1925: pp. 74–76. Jones received private primary and secondary education. He was attending
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
in his junior year when he received an appointment to the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at
West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
, which he entered on March 1, 1909.
Jones graduated in 1913
with a bachelor of science degree.
[Major General Junius W. Jones](_blank)
United States Air Force.[Factsheet](_blank)
Jones, Junius Wallace Papers 1944-1945, Air Force Historical Research Agency.
United States Army
Jones received his commission as a second lieutenant on June 12, 1913, and was assigned to the coast artillery at
Fort Monroe, Virginia
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virg ...
.
Jones was reassigned to
Fort Winfield Scott
Fort Point is a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. It is also the geographic name of the promontory upon which the fort and the southern approach of the Golden Gat ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in 1914 where he served with the 64th Company and later with the 27th Company.
Jones was assigned to the United States Military Academy as an instructor in 1916.
In June 1919, Jones was ordered to military duty in
Koblenz, Germany
Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its name ...
with United States Forces. In 1920, Jones was ordered to
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
where he served in motor transport.
Army Air Service
Jones was assigned to the
Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
in 1920. He was assigned to
Carlstrom Field
Carlstrom Field is a former military airfield, located southeast of Arcadia, Florida. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established in 1917 after the United States entry into World War I.
History
Carlstrom Field ...
,
DeSoto County, Florida
DeSoto County is a county located at the tropical/humid subtropical line which means the Florida Heartland, central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,976. Its county seat is Arcadia.
DeSoto Co ...
where he trained as a pilot. Jones graduated from flight school in April 1920, and thereafter was assigned to
Post Field
Henry Post Army Airfield is a military use airport located at Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. This military airport is owned by United States Army. Established as Post Field in 1917, it was one of thirty-two Air Service t ...
,
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
where he entered the Air Service Observation School from which he graduated in September 1921. Jones then remained at Fort Sill where he attended the
United States Army Field Artillery School
The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develop ...
. Jones was formally transferred to the Army Air Service in November 1921, having risen to the rank of major.
Jones was then assigned to
Mitchell Field
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is a civil–military airport south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States., effective May 21, 2020. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Air ...
,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
as air operations officer. In 1924, Jones was moved to the
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
as operations officer at
France Field
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Army Air Corps
Jones was appointed Wing Operations Officer at
Langley Field Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perform ...
, Virginia in February 1927. Jones entered the
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. C ...
at Langley Field in September 1927. Upon graduation, he was sent to the
Command and General Staff School
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...
from which he graduated in June 1929. After that, he attended the
Army War College at
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
from which he graduated in June 1930.
Following his graduation, Jones was appointed to the Inspection Division of the Air Corp as chief of that division. Jones briefly served at
March Field
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
as air inspector, but soon entered the
Naval War College
The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...
at
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
from which he graduated in June 1934.
Jones was then sent to
Chanute Field Chanute may refer to:
*Chanute, Kansas, United States
**Chanute High School
*Octave Chanute (1832–1910), American civil engineer and aviation pioneer
*Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, United States
*Octave Chanute Award, awarded by the Western S ...
, Illinois where he served as commandant of the Air Corps Technical School until March 1938 when he was sent to
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
to establish
Lowry Field
Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field in 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War, serving as the initial 1955–1958 si ...
.
Jones was assigned to the
Office of the Inspector General
In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to man ...
at Washington in August 1938. He was given command of the
16th Bombardment Wing at
Bowman Field, Kentucky in April 1941.
Army Air Forces
Then Brigadier General Jones was assigned to the
Technical Training Command
The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Corp ...
at
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
, first as executive officer and later as commanding general, where, among other duties, he had oversight of
Embry-Riddle School of Aviation training of enlisted personnel. In June 1943 he returned to Washington as air inspector of the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
where he remained for the duration of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Air Force
After the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
was created from the Army Air Forces in 1947, General Jones remained as Air Inspector until 1948. He was subsequently assigned as commanding general of the Sacramento Air Material Area at
McClellan Air Force Base, California, a position in which he remained until his retirement in 1952.
Honors
General Jones was decorated with the
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
, the
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation.
Examples include:
*Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action
* Distinguishe ...
, and the
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
.
In 2015 the Air Force established an annual Junius W. Jones Inspector General Award named in his honor to recognize outstanding inspection programs within Air Force units.
Personal life
Jones married Mary Beirne Harmon (b. January 15, 1891) at New York in December 1914,
daughter of Edward Valentine Harmon and Marie Antoinette Kinney of
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...
. Mary Beirne Harmon Jones died on July 28, 1917, at the age of 26, giving birth to Mary Beirne Jones (Kerr).
Jones married Josephine Lanier,
however the marriage did not last.
Jones married Katherine Callahan in 1937.
Although the marriage did not last, a daughter, Esther Marilynn Jones (b. 21 May 1940) was born of this marriage.
Jones remodeled Centenaria, the home of his parents at the time of his birth, to serve as his personal residence.
After Jones returned to live in Jackson, he married widow Anne Howell Turpin of Jackson on 12 June 1969 at
.
Jones liked to ride horses, In addition, he was noted his ability to prepare a
Sazerac
The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail originally from New Orleans, named for the ''Sazerac de Forge et Fils'' brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combi ...
cocktail.
Retirement
General Jones accepted a position as airport director of
Moisant Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (French language, French: ''Aéroport international Louis Armstrong de La Nouvelle-Orléans'') is an international airport under Airspace class (United States), Class B airspace in Kenner, Loui ...
, a position which he occupied for some years. After he left that employment he moved to his family plantation near Jackson, Louisiana where he kept horses and rode frequently. He then remodeled Centenaria, which is a house built in 1840 to serve as the residence of the president of
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a private liberal arts college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi Rive ...
,
where he resided with his wife, Anne Howell Jones, for the remainder of his life.
Death
Jones died at Centenaria on February 14, 1977 after a stroke.
Jones is buried in the cemetery of
Grace Episcopal Church,
St. Francisville, Louisiana.
References
External links
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Junius Wallace
1890 births
1977 deaths
United States Army generals
United States Air Force generals
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Air Medal
United States Army War College alumni
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
People from Jackson, Louisiana
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army Air Forces generals of World War II
United States Army Air Forces generals
Military personnel from Louisiana