Cinnaminson resident Samuel Jones enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946
Cinnaminson veteran Samuel Jones is 87 years old and just as sharp as ever. Jones has been living in Cinnaminson for more than 50 years and has made a great life for himself here — he married his high school sweetheart, had six children and started a family business he still runs today. Jones now has 19 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Jones grew up in Philadelphia. He had a big family — something that was very common in the 1930s and 1940s. Jones followed in the footsteps of his four brothers who enlisted in the Army, and enlisted himself in 1946 when he was just 17 years old.
Of the five Jones brothers who served, Samuel is the only one alive today. Charles, James, David and Alfred Jones are all buried in Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly.
All five of the Jones brothers served in the U.S. Army during World War II. James enlisted in 1941, Charles in 1942, David in 1943 and Alfred and Samuel in 1946. The brothers collectively served from 1941 to 1948.
Although Samuel was not in hand-to-hand combat, he was doing important work in Germany. He was in the United States Constabulary — the security force that was in place in the U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany post-World War II. Jones says he was a peacekeeper, among other things.
“At times, our duty shifted, and we would patrol the prisons,” Samuel said. “One day, I remember walking around the prison — just like the prisons are in the United States, but older. I didn’t know who was in there, and my sergeant said, ‘You know, some of them are the war criminals that were convicted, waiting for trial.’”
James was stationed in Okinawa during World War II, among other places. Charles fought in the Battle of the Bulge in France and David was part of the China-India-Burma Campaign and also served in Korea, where he lost his life. Samuel is still trying to find out the full story behind David’s death. Alfred was a paratrooper in North Carolina. Samuel smiled fondly when recounting Alfred’s experience as a paratrooper.
“He would come home for furlough and I would say, ‘Hey Fred, how many times did you jump out of the airplane?’ He said, ‘I never jumped. They pushed me,’” Samuel said, laughing.
A lot of what Samuel did in Germany had to do with DPs, or displaced persons. When Germany surrendered, millions of Europeans who had been freed from slave labor and concentration camps were now alone and far from home. While many returned to their homes, almost 2 million either had no home to return to, or were too afraid to go home.
“What we did in the Constabulary is the concentration camps — the gates were taken off — there were no more prisoners,” Samuel said. “So, we gave the concentration buildings and huts to the refugees. We took care of them — thousands and thousands of them.”
While the DPs living in the camps could come and go as they pleased, it was Samuel’s job to patrol them.
Samuel received two medals in his time of service — the World War II Victory Medal and the World War II Army Occupation Medal.
The World War II Victory Medal was awarded to those who served in the U.S. armed forces between Dec. 7, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946. The ribbon the medal hangs from sports a red stripe that is symbolic of Mars, the God of War, representing courage and fortitude.
The World War II Army Occupation Medal was awarded to those who provided 30 consecutive days of service in occupied territories during qualifying periods.
Despite the fact there were five Jones brothers to serve in the military, Samuel says this was not a family tradition, as neither one of his parents were veterans. Instead, it was a response to the need of the time. Samuel says almost everybody was involved in the war effort at the time he enlisted, including two of his sisters who worked in factories to support the soldiers. Samuel’s uncle was drafted at age 38, despite the draft age range being 18–25.
“Every family had somebody in the service. Either they were enlisted or they were drafted. Every other guy you saw had a uniform on,” Samuel said.
Samuel is honored to be recognized at the Philadelphia 76ers game on Veterans Day this year. Samuel strives to recognize the service of his four other brothers that served and honor their memory.
