Memorial To James Grady Jones

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the

DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS posthumously to

JAMES GRADEY JONES Lieutenant (junior grade) United States Navy for service as set forth in the following

CITATION: For heroic achievement in aerial flight while serving as a pilot attached to and serving with Attack Squadron 12 embarked on USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA42). While operating against the enemy in North Vietnam on 11 November 1966, Lieutenant Jones was assigned the vital task of flak suppression in a two carrier combined strike effort against the Ninh Binh railroad yards involving forty aircraft. The yards were formidably defended by multitudinous heavy antiaircraft batteries, and the success of the mission depended upon the silencing of these batteries prior to the attack by the strike aircraft. Approaching the target area Lieutenant Jones maneuvered with his flight leader to position himself most advantageously for the flak suppression run. At the instant prior to the attack he rolled his aircraft into a dive, and fired his missile into a pre-assigned antiaircraft site. Despite the intense antiaircraft fire that enshrouded his aircraft, Lieutenant Jones continued in his run, and unerringly guided his first missile directly to the flak site. He then observed that the main strike force had come under attack from yet another antiaircraft site. Wheeling his aircraft around Lieutenant Jones made a point blank low altitude attack on this site with his second missile. The missile exploded in the middle of the flak site and a huge secondary explosion and fireball erupted. The battery fell silent and the strike force that he had been assigned to protect was able to continue its attack without further opposition. By his coolness under fire, courage, and determination in carrying out his dangerous attack Lieutenant Jones was directly instrumental in the success of the strike. His performance was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval service. Lieutenant Jones was killed the next day, 12 November 1966, while returning from a night combat mission. From his brother, Robert B. Jones E-Mail will be forwarded by the [email protected]