George Madison Jones (February 22, 1911 - December 16, 1995) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

most notable for leading the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment in

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 opposing ...

Military career

Jones graduated from 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 ...

in 1935 (graduate #10439) and was commissioned into the infantry. After a number of infantry assignments he volunteered for parachute training just after the establishment of the Parachute School at Fort Benning, Georgia. After graduation, he was assigned to the

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 terri ...

, where he commanded the 501st Parachute Battalion, one of the original parachute units. At the outbreak of World War II, the battalion joined the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, the only independent airborne regiment in the Pacific Theatre, to act as a strategic reserve for General MacArthur. The 503rd was sent to Australia, where Lieutenant Colonel Jones served as the Regimental Executive Officer to Colonel Kinsler, the Regimental Commanding Officer. From Australia, Jones and the 503rd went to New Guinea, where they made the first successful U.S. combat parachute assault in the war at Markham Valley in September 1943. (The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne Division was also in New Guinea and made combat jumps in the Philippines during the war.) Upon Kinsler's suicide, Jones became Regimental Commander and was promoted to colonel. After making a second combat jump on Noemfoor Island in July 1944 and leaving New Guinea, the 503rd participated in the invasion of the Philippine Islands and conducted an amphibious landing on Mindoro in December 1944. Jones was put in charge of "Rock Force" (503rd PRCT plus 3rd Battalion, 34th U.S. Infantry) which liberated

Corregidor Island Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...

by a combined parachute assault and amphibious landing in February 1945. Jones and his Regimental Combat Team moved on to Negros Island, where they fought Imperial Marines and other Japanese forces until well after October 1945, as a core of Japanese commanders refused to surrender. After the last Japanese units surrendered, the 503rd was disbanded and he took the Headquarters back to California, where the unit was officially deactivated and the colors cased. After World War II, Jones would serve in the U.S. Army for another 23 years. Notable positions included Chief of Staff of

XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...

, and Operations Officer (G-3) of IX Corps in Korea. He was the second Commandant of the Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he is credited with transforming Special Forces from a concept to an effective fighting organization. He subsequently commanded the 66th Military Intelligence Group in Germany, served as Deputy Commanding General of the 3rd Infantry Division, and was Chief of Staff of the Fifth US Army. He ultimately served as Commander of the Yukon Command and Deputy Commander of US Army - Alaska before retiring with the rank of

in 1968.

Medals and decorations

References

*United States Military Academy Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, 1997 Edition, page 219. *Matthew J. Konz, Major, U.S. Army: "Operational Employment of the Airborne Brigade Combat Team: The 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment as a Case Study," Monograph at the School of Advanced Military Studies, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, George M. 1911 births 1996 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Military Academy alumni

Military career

Medals and decorations

See also

References