March, 2023

Elliott Jones

U.S. Army

Vietnam Era - 1969-1971

Bronze Stars (2), Air Medal

1st. Lieutenant

1st Lt. Elliott Jones is a Vietnam veteran with many years of service to the VFW, the Military Officers Association of America and the American Legion.  Elliott was born in 1948 and raised in Chicago.  He attended Englewood High School and continued his education at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois in 1965. There he earned a BA in Economics and Business Administration in 1969. At that time, Army ROTC was mandatory for the first two years of college.  He opted to continue in ROTC for the last two years because he knew he would be drafted after graduation.

After graduation from Wheaton, in the Summer of 1969, Elliot attended boot camp at Ft. Riley, KS. He was subsequently commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Signal Corps.  He reported to the Signal Corp Officers Basic course at Ft. Gordon, GA.  This course prepared officers for Signal and Communication Operations (installation and repair of communication equipment in combat situations). They were also trained in jungle operations.  The course was a little over 4 months, but not enough time to prepare them for what to expect in Vietnam.

After the Signal Corp Officers Basic Course, Elliott was transferred to Ft. Hood, TX where he served as a signal company commander. In 1970 he was transferred to 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 8th Combat Engineer Battalion where he served as a Communication Officer in Phuoc Vinh, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam until 1971. During that time he was promoted to 1st Lt..

Elliott and his men went on missions to repair and maintain the communication system in the tactical area of operations.  The job required travel to other locations nearby to insure that remote members of his team (located at relay station) had what they needed to complete their jobs. On several occasions while installing and repairing communication equipment they took enemy fire on their positions.

In March of 1971 Elliott returned from Vietnam and was stationed at Ft. Sheridan, Il.  There he was responsible for reviewing and signing DD214’s for soldiers separating from the service.

in all, Elliott spent two years on active duty and four years in the Army Reserves and earned two Bronze Stars and an Air Medal

After the service Elliott embarked on a 43 year career in the commercial insurance industry as a broker and underwriter in Chicago.

He is grateful for his experience in the Army because, he feels he gained a greater sense of management and leadership.

January 2022

Samuel Jones (1930 - 2023)

U.S. Army

Korean War Era 1947-1950

Mr. Jones is a Korean War veteran with over 40 years of service to the Post. He was born at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on March 25, 1930. He was raised in Evanston and attended Evanston Township High School and decided to enlist in the US Air Force in 1947.

He chose the Air Force because he thought it was the best fit for him and he could also finish his education and get the training he wanted. He attended boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX.  He indicated that boot camp was rigorous, but he kept his mind on what he wanted to accomplish.  He was able to obtain his high school diploma while serving in the Air Force.

He was stationed in Guam when the Korean War started.  His job assignment was a truck driver, and he was also a welder.  He was in charge of all the trucks and made sure that they were in tiptop shape before they went out.  His highest rank was sergeant.  While in Guam, he had rice every single day, powdered eggs and sometimes bacon.  Mr. Jones indicated that you just ate what they gave you and the pickings were slim.  While in Guam they had to be issued new uniforms because they had all winter clothing.  The battalion he served in was not able to get uniforms because United States said that they did not have uniforms for them.  As a result, the Marines ended up issuing them uniforms while they were there. 

At the end of his service, Sergeant Jones went to Rantoul Air Force Base, located in Illinois and from there he went to Roswell, New Mexico.  In 1950 he received an honorable discharge certificate, money and returned home.

When Mr. Jones came out of the military he went to school for mechanical drawing.  He also joined the VFW under the leadership of Alan “Bo” Price for Snell Post 7186.  After school he became a carpenter which he worked 47 years and retired in 1993.  In his spare time, he loved bowling and joined the Evanston 10 Pinners where he was an avid bowler for over 30 years. 

Mr. Jones joined Second Baptist Church, where he was baptized in 1973 under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Hycel B. Taylor, Jr.  Mr. Jones also belonged to different clubs and organizations where they gave back to the community.

One of the organizations was called the Evanston Wild Bunch.  They would have an annual back to school picnic for the kids where they received all their supplies for the upcoming school season.

Mr. Jones said while serving in the service he felt that he became a better man because he was able to contribute to his country. He married Rita Jones and had a family of three boys which all were in the armed forces and a daughter, who did not get that bug.

He has eleven grandchildren, two of whom are currently serving in the armed forces and twenty-one great grandchildren whom he finds joy in each and every one of them.

Rick enlisted in February 1967 and took basic and advance training at Camp Pendleton, Ca.  He arrived in Vietnam in March 1968 and was immediately sent to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where he experienced constant shelling from the North Vietnamese Army for the next six months.  By December 1968 he was assigned to Graves Registration where he processed over 5,000 bodies including American, Vietnamese, Chinese and more until September of 1969.  After returning home, he was stationed at Quantico, VA  until his discharge in January 1971.

In Graves Registration his job was to confirm who the person was, record any identifying marks including, scars, tattoos, teeth and fingerprints, then clean up the body and place it in a body bag to be shipped home.  Most of the bodies were brought to his unit, but on one occasion he had to go on a retrieval mission in the field.  On the way out, the helicopter transporting him, came under fire and he was forced to evacuate at tree top level (about 30 feet).   Even though he sustained a broken leg in the fall, he completed his mission and brought the bodies back to camp.

Upon leaving service he became an agent for Equitable Life Insurance and eventually started his own business selling life insurance and investments.  He retired in 2010.

In 2000 he joined the National Vietnam Art Museum Educational Outreach where he spoke to over 25,000 high school students during the next 10-years.  Not one to pull punches, Rick conveyed the true cost of war and always ended his presentation with three, penetrating questions for anyone who advocating going to go to war.  “1, Are you ready to give up your current life for an indeterminate amount of time?  2. Are you willing to put your own life at risk? 3. Are you willing to kill another human being?”  Prior to the start of the Iraq war he joined Veterans for Peace and protested the war in Iraq.

Both he and his wife are inveterate travelers and have seen the world journeying to 21 countries and going on many exotic adventures that include climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Due to being exposed to many toxins, including Agent Orange, during his service in Vietnam, Rick developed Parkinson’s Disease and has been declared 80% disabled by the VA since 2014.  Not one to let his disability slow him down, he Is currently a volunteer for JourneyCare Hospice where he faithfully and lovingly serves dying veterans and their families.

“I have much to be thankful for; family and friends, but most of all my wife who has been a continuing source of inspiration to me as I have been to her.  I have learned much in my life and the volunteer work I now do is both pay back and pay forward for all that I have been given”