Rank: Commander (rank at time of action: Lieutenant)
Conflict/Era: Interim 1915 - 1916
Unit/Command: U.S.S. Memphis
Military Service Branch: U.S. Navy
Medal of Honor Action Date: August 29, 1916
Medal of Honor Action Place: off Santo Domingo City, Santo Domingo
Citation
For extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as a senior engineer officer on board the U.S.S. Memphis, at a time when the vessel was suffering total destruction from a hurricane while anchored off Santo Domingo City, 29 August 1916. Lt. Jones did everything possible to get the engines and boilers ready, and if the elements that burst upon the vessel had delayed for a few minutes, the engines would have saved the vessel. With boilers and steampipes bursting about him in clouds of scalding steam, with thousands of tons of water coming down upon him and in almost complete darkness, Lt. Jones nobly remained at his post as long as the engines would turn over, exhibiting the most supreme unselfish heroism which inspired the officers and men who were with him. When the boilers exploded, Lt. Jones, accompanied by two of his shipmates, rushed into the firerooms and drove the men there out, dragging some, carrying others to the engineroom, where there was air to be breathed instead of steam. Lt. Jones' action on this occasion was above and beyond the call of duty.
Additional Details
Accredited to: West Virginia
Awarded Posthumously: No
Born: October 7, 1885, Fire Creek, Fayette County, WV, United States
Died: August 8, 1948
Buried: Arlington National Cemetery (11-546-SS), Arlington, VA, United States