Welcome Home Sgt Bruce Dale Jones, Evergreen and Conecuh County Veterans Memorial, OCT 5, 2012.

Sgt Bruce Dale Jones LOD 1972, SP USAF Uniform

Vietnam
WELCOME HOME
SGT BRUCE DALE JONES
Evergreen and Conecuh County Alabama
VETERANS MEMORIAL
OCT 5, 2012
by Don Poss. , LM 37
© 2012

Photos submitted by:
VSPA Photographer Tony Morris;
Courtesy of The Evergreen Courant Newspaper;
Garry T. Lee, Erlyce Pekas, and other VSPA Members

Photos submitted by:
VSPA Photographer Tony Morris; Courtesy of The Evergreen Courant Newspaper; Garry T. Lee, Erlyce Pekas, and other VSPA Members.

Twenty minutes ago, we stood before Sgt Bruce Dale Jones' grave. VSPA members and Evergreen Alabama and Conecuh County folks placed a beautiful floral Welcome Home Wreath in his honor and remembrance. A very moving ceremony for all who were there. Thirteen fellow Vietnam Veteran USAF Airmen who served at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, and 57 VSPA members had followed Ed Daubert, who served with Sgt Jones, and placed the wreath. A VSPA member played Amazing Grace in full military regale on bagpipes.

Now, we have arrived at the nearby newly dedicated Veterans Monument where Sgt Jones' name was newly listed and played a part in our finding One of Our Own. Through name-similarity and the passing decades, Bruce Dale Jones had become lost to us.

(2) The Evergreen Courant (Alabama) newspaper banner

(3) Photo Courtesy of The Evergreen Courant (Alabama).

(4) A manicured park lawn setting surrounds the under-construction veterans monument. The Conecuh County Board of Education leased the land for the monument to the D. A. V.. When completed, the monument will be a beautiful memorial to their fallen warriors. A 40ft flagpole will be lite 24/7 and fly near the monument. Blocks of stone will display the seals of our nation's miliary services.

(5) 57 VSPA members climb off the bus, tired but elated. Cameras break out and everyone jockeys for position, and everyone gets their perfect shot.

(6) The monument is a beautiful work of art itself. But it has a way of giving-back that beauty in that its surface reflects cobalt blue skies and
drifting marsh mellow clouds on the one side... and forest green ancient trees nearby and across the street. Most precious to me are the
reflected faces of friends who one-and-all know the true cost of war is written before them.

(7) Construction with a Smile, Alabama Style! The mason offers a friendly southern-greeting without missing a brick-laying-beat.
You can't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

(8) James Windham said that even the bricks around the monument have a history...
interspersed among the bricks are some from the old Conecuh County Court House.

(9) James Windham talked about the community coming together to honor town of Evergreen and the County sons who lost their lives in service
to our great country. To date, names of fallen and engraved in granite for WW I, WW II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and continues with Iraq.

(10) Viewing each side of the monument, names of wars carry the pain of foreign wars, the local community and passing veterans.

(11) World War I: A staggering war that failed to end all wars, and reaped its bounty in blood.

(12) World War I: James Windham holds our interest with his gentlemanly scholar's knowledge for details. If you could
meet him you would understand he is gifted with a golden tongue and kind heart... and yes, he plays Santa at Christmas.

(13) VSPA Members stand quietly, lost in thought... glad to be a part of this day... and each pausing to read or touch Sgt Jones' name under the Vietnam War.

(13) VSPA Members stand quietly, lost in thought... glad to be a part of this day...

vspa

and each pausing to read or touch Sgt Jones' name under the Vietnam War .

(14) Howard Yates, in military bagpipe regalia, stands a part enjoying the visual memory of monument and friends.

(15) Korean War, Vietnam War (East side); Iraq (Terrorist Wars; North side).

(16) World War II (Front/South side).

(17) Oblique view: World War II (Front/South side);
Korean War; Vietnam War (East side).

(18) Iraq (North side), lists first KIA/LOD.

(19) VIETNAM: Sgt Bruce Dale Jones (5th name down). Smooth glistening marble-like granite... it was easy to gently run figures over engraved
Names. I wondered if there would ever be such as thing as "monument-braille," what stories these names could tell with a simple touch.
It is obvious having come in contact with many locals that they share a love of country,
and retain the morals and friendly spirit seemingly slipping away in many places of our nation.

(20) Too quickly, it is time to reboard the bus. I am grateful to the citizens of Evergreen and Conecuh County for
immortalizing the names of their war casualties, and especially in that selfless act leading us to finding Sgt Jones.
This war monument itself played a role in VSPA finding Sgt Jones' gravesite, and establishing that he is One of Ours.

Click to see 360-Flat Image .

Click to view interactive/rotatable 360 degree photo
Across the street is an historical cemetery with two or three dozen Civil War CSA veterans.

The following is from the story of how VSPA found Sgt Jones (read it in full by clicking here).

Updated Photos for the Evergreen Veterans Monument since VSPA's visit.

Two Weeks after VSPA's visit to the Evergreen Veterans Monument, construction advances (Click photos to see full view). James Windham

James Windham wrote:
Note our brick walls are finished as are the brick stanchions around the front. We will be putting a chain from the wall around the stanchions to the entrance way which is also completed and filled in with brick. The poles are set, the lights are wired and we had South Alabama Gas up to look at the eternal flame we will put in. They are going to get a wrought iron fence to go around the flame, white granite rock to put down the hole where the flame piping comes up and put a bowl shaped dish with the flame in the middle. We'll have 5 post around the fence with a 45 degree cut and a bronze service emblem from each of the 5 branches. There will also be a chain link fence joining the poles together.

Today was Conecuh Sausage Festival day (not to mention my birthday). We opted to take the left over bricks from the wall up and sell them for $5.00 each to help pay for the landscaping we still have to cover. Managed to use the glib tongue and sell $700.00 worth and most people didn't even want the brick. It was a good day for us.

NEWS: Thursday, May 31, 2012 New Military Monument includes list of county’s war dead.

I first saw Bruce Dale Jones's name on a Alabama veterans' monument site where an online article by the Listening Post-Observation Post had posted it within days prior to my search. A new veterans memorial was being dedicated to the war dead of Conecuh County.

Amongst the names of Conecuh County's fallen Alabama veterans from WW I, WW II, Korea, and Vietnam, was “Bruce Dale Jones of Evergreen." Inscribed on the new granite obelisk shaped monument were the names of their fallen.

In the enlarged photo of the names lost in VIETNAM, just visible above an umbrella was clearly engraved “Jones, Bruce Dale Sgt” (5th name down).
We had found Sgt Jones....

Vietnam Security Police Association, Inc. (USAF)