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Major <em>Paul M. Jones</em> was born in Cleveland, Tennessee, January 10, 1910. He was graduated from local schools and prepped for West Point at the Marion Military Academy in Alabama. Prior to this, when he was about 15 years old, he joined the Tennessee National Guard and performed strike duty service as a private and as a noncom.</p>
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He entered the Military Academy on July 1, 1931. “Red”, as he was known to his classmates, was one of the most conscientious cadets in his class. His seriousness of purpose and his high sense of duty which he showed in his later years was clearly visible while he was a cadet at the Academy. The sincerity and absolute honesty that marked him as an officer were apparent as a cadet. He graduated from the Academy on June 12, 1935, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry. His first assignment was with the 6th Cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe. Work always came first with Red, and he was the last to leave the stables or the orderly room at the close of each day, but he also knew how to relax, and led a gay life as a bachelor. His parents’ home was not far from the post at Fort Oglethorpe, and he was well known throughout eastern Tennessee. No one who ever met him ever forgot him. He became Regimental Signal Officer for the 6th Cavalry and did much to modernize the signal communications of mobile units. He commanded “F” Troop of the 6th and then was sent to Fort McPherson, Georgia, on temporary duty to act as instructor at the West Point Preparatory School there conducted by the Army.</p>
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In 1938, he married Miss Helen Bickerstaff of Brookline, Massachusetts.</p>
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He attended the Cavalry School regular course in 1939, graduating in January, 1940. He received his orders for the Philippines but was temporarily assigned to the 5th Cavalry at Fort Clark, Texas. He participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers in the summer of 1940, and served with Brigadier General Jonathan M. Wainwright, then commanding the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. He was later to spend much time on the field of battle with General Wainwright. He and his wife sailed on the same boat with General and Mrs. Wainwright in September of 1940.</p>
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Upon arrival in the Philippines, Jones was assigned to the 26th Cavalry, Philippine Scouts, at Fort Stotsenburg. Here he and Mrs. Jones had a few happy, undisturbed weeks together in the sunshine and quiet of Pampanga. But the sands of time were running out—none knew this more than Red, and he worked so hard during the long Department maneuvers in Bataan in December and January that his commanding officer on more than one occasion had to give him a direct order to rest, and in one instance he was so exhausted that he slept 19 hours straight. He was probably the hardest working member of a regiment which abounded in hard-working officers.</p>
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In February, 1941, the 26th was expanded, and Red was given C Troop to organize and train up to the high Scout standards of the remainder of the regiment. This task he attacked with such vigor that within a few months, C Troop functioned with the same smooth efficiency as did the old troops of the 26th, and was possessed of the same dash and esprit. No one was more pleased than Red when he learned, via the prison grapevine, a short time before his death, that the troop which he had fathered had been cited by General MacArthur, who told its members “You have covered your troop guidon with glory and set an example for soldiers everywhere to emulate”. The young recruits had had their first lessons in devotion to duty in the example set them by their first Troop Commander. It was a lesson they had learned well.</p>
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The bright sweet days at Stotsenburg were soon to end, and in June of 1941, Mrs. Jones was evacuated back to the United States, while Red remained with the 26th Cavalry. On December 7, when the Japs struck, he was commanding the Provisional Squadron of the Regiment. On the first day of war, he was ordered to organize an advance headquarters for the high command, which contributed substantially to the successful staff work that made the brilliant withdrawal into Bataan possible.</p>
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Red was definitely not a desk staff officer. One day, while conducting General Wainwright on the front line, they came upon some Jap soldiers, and Red and General Wainwright killed several of them with their rifles. During this action, Jones was wounded. No doctors were available at the time, and the regimental veterinary treated him. It was not long until he was back to duty, and he continued fighting with the 26th Cavalry during their magnificent stand on Bataan.</p>
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In the dark days of May, 1942, when the 26th Cavalry surrendered to the Japs, Major Jim Blanning. Class of 1931, commanding one of the squadrons, stayed with Jones, as the latter was too sick to move without assistance. Red had been struck by malaria and struck hard. Major Blanning took him up info the hills around Mariveles and by this action, they both missed the Death March. They were later captured and confined in the prison camp at Cabanatuan. In June, 1942, Major Jones was sent to Davao to the prison camp. At the time of his departure, he was very ill and many of his comrades despaired of his pulling through. Nothing much is known about his stay at Davao except that he conducted himself as an American officer should under such circumstances. He returned to Luzon in June, 1944, and was put in the Cabanatuan prison camp. After his return, he regained most of his health and was an inspiration to his fellow prisoners—sober, sensible, and reliable as ever.</p>
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In October of that year, he was moved to the Bilibid Prison to await transportation on a Jap prison ship to the mainland of Japan. His boat sailed in a convoy and was sunk. Over one thousand prisoners had been jammed into the hold without water and without room to move. When his ship was hit, Jones saw that because of the condition a panic might ensue. One of the few survivors of that ship, a master sergeant, stated that a redheaded major who had been sick most of the trip got their attention and restored order with the following statement: “Boys, we’re in a hell of a jam, but we’ve been in jams before. Remember that no matter what happens, we’re American soldiers, and play it that way to the end of the script”. That red-headed major was positively identified as Paul M. Jones.</p>
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For his action in the Philippines, he received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart with cluster. Major Jones died as he lived—with never a blemish on his record. His selflessness will never be forgotten by those who served with him in training, in combat, in prison, or in death.</p>
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He is survived by his widow, Helen Bickerstaff Jones of Brookline, Massachusetts.</p>
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