Fairbury Korean War veteran earns county Veteran of the Month honor

FAIRBURY, NE — A southeast Nebraska Korean War veteran is being honored for his service.

Jay Jones of Fairbury was named Jefferson County Veteran of the Month on Tuesday. He also received a Quilt of Valor.

Here is his biography from the Jefferson County Veterans’ Service Office:

Jay D. Jones voluntarily joined the U. S. Army just hours after graduating from Fairbury High School. He attended eight weeks of Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri and eight weeks of Advanced Individual Training in Ft. Polk, Louisiana. In September, 1971 he was immediately assigned to an Artillery Unit on the DMZ at Camp Liberty Bell near Camp Casey in Northern South Korea. As a Tracked Armored Personnel Carrier driver he patrolled the DMZ and ate “C Rations.” The remainder of the time he and his fellow veterans ate in the mess hall. He also served on Guard Duty at look out posts and endured the loud speaker propaganda from North Korea at nights and on holidays. For entertainment he spent time in Seoul Korea. He left South Korea on Christmas Day in 1973 by a Continental 727 airplane and arrived in the United States in time to celebrate Christmas again.

Jay’s next tour of duty was Ft. Hood, Texas for five days and then was deployed to Germany near Frankfurt for 25 days. Again, he spent his duty time as a Tracked Armored Personnel Carrier driver. The primary purpose of the field exercises was a “Show of Force.” While on leave in Germany Jay enjoyed rides on old German steam engine trains and toured the Berlin Wall.

The remainder several months of Jay’s active duty obligation was spent honorably serving at Ft. Hood, Texas. His inactive duty obligation was spent in the Fairbury National Guard. While on active duty Jay received: National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Korean Service Medal; and the UN Korean Service Medal. Jay’s uniform also displays the blue Army Infantry Rope and Marksman Rifle Badge.

In civilian life Jay worked for Endicott Clay Products for several months, Eigenberg Produce Trucking three years, Canning Trucking Service for five years and Beatrice Concrete from November 11, 1981 until retirement October 6, 2017. Jay has been an active member of a Country Band called the “Countrymen” for the past 30 years. They play at the VFW once a month and also do private gigs. He is a life member of the American Legion Post 24 and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3113. He has been a Post 3113 Trustee for six years and is currently serving as the Third Year Trustee. Jay is an active member of the Honor Guard.

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