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Stanley Jones, 100, part of Mighty 8th
By Will Davis
publishér©mymcrnel
Stanley Jones knew what
he wanted to do when he
was assigned to the 8th
Army Air Corps in 1941,
but the Georgia boy had a
change of heart when he
arrived in England.
“I wanted to be a pilot,”
the lOO-year—old Jones told
the Reporter while visiting
his nephew Lee Willing-
ham in Forsyth last month.
“But after I got into the war,
I was glad I wasn’t.”
That’s because Jones saw
up close how the Nazis shot
up those B-17 planes like
a piece of Swiss cheese. He
supervised a team of weld-
ers in England tasked with
patching up those B-17
bombers so they could be
sent back to take out more
Nazis, and, sure as fire, take
on more flak.
Jones and his boys would
help the 8th Army Air
Corps earn its fame as the
Mighty8th during World
War 2, as Allied planes
liberated Europe from the
Nazi war machine.
“I’m glad I could keep
you from talking German,”
smiled Jones.
But it wasn’t a sure thing
when they arrived. Jones’
unit lost over 150 planes
in three years, and another
150 were rendered inoper-
able by the Nazi guns.
“We were losing,’ recalled
Jones, “until we got the
P—47.”
The P-47 planes ran
interference ahead of Allied
aircraft, drawing enemy
fire and freeing up Allied
bombers to hit their targets.
“They won the war,’ says
Jones, matter of factly.
Jones was born on Feb.
10, 1918, “at am.” adds
Jones, who still very much
has his wits about him.
He was born in Camilla,
and was justtwo when his
father died at age 42, leav—
ing his mother to raise five
kids as a single mom. His
sister, Adonis, was born
two months after their
father passed. That sister
would later go to Bessie
Tift College in Forsyth and
stayed here, marrying Mr.
Willingharn and going to
work at Tift before having
their son, Jones’ host, Lee.
Meanwhile, Jones was
drafted in 1941 and arrived
in Great Britain with the
soon-to-be Mighty 8th in
July 1942. Jones said if he
had to be overseas, there
was no better place than
England.
“I couldn’t ask for much
better,” said Jones. “The
people were nice.”
But the nights were not
so nice. German bombers
dropped their munitions
on England at night and of-
ten got very close to Jones’
little hut, which sat about
20 miles outside of Lon-
don. But in the daytime,
when he wasn’t working on
planes, Jones was able to
see the countryside despite
having no vehicle.
“I rode 1 million miles
on a bike over there,’ ’ said
Jones. “And hitchhiked a
long time.”
Motorists were good
back then about picking up
hitchhikers, including one
time when the head of the
Belgian Navy picked him
up and gave him a ride.
But most of the time,
Jones was trying to weld
those B-17s back together.
One plane returned from
a particularly bad run with
so many bullet holes that
Jones couldn’t put his hand
anywhere in the radio com—
partment without touching
a hole.
“But the pilot didn’t have
a scratch!” Jones exclaimed.
Perhaps the hardest
repair job they had came
when the B—17s were lined
up on the runway to take
off and the radio operator
told the first pilot to scrap
the mission because it was
too foggy. The second pilot
in line didn’t get the mes-
sage and tried to take off
and plowed a hole in the
first plane, recalled Jones.
It wasn’t all work for
Jones in England. The
then-24-year-old also
found time to court a pretty
l9-year-old named Nancy
from Australia. They mar-
ried in a country church in
England and proceeded to
have two children there.
Meanwhile, the Allies
drove the Germans out
‘l’m gladil could keep you from talking German."
- Stanley Jones, World War II veteran
County hires Robinson for finance
of France and Jones’ unit
began to work on planes
for the invasion of north
Africa. When the war was
over, Jones and his unit
were able to take a 10-hour
plane ride at 2,000 feet
over France and Europe
to see what the war and
their B-17s had done to
the landscape. Jones said
it was incredible to see the
Stanley Jones, left, with his
nephew Lee Willingham of
Forsyth. Jones helped repair
B- l7s, left, in England dur-
ing the war.
destruction. Next, Jones
helped with the Green
Project, whose mission was
getting all the US. troops
back home, including
himself.
Jones said he returned
home without much fan-
fare and went right back to
the job he had four years
earlier.
“There was no glory
about it,” said Jones. “I
came home just like I
hadn’t been anywhere.
Made no big story about it.
I came home more or less
by myself?’
He had to leave his
wife and two children in
August l5, 2018
MOPSCONS/GNMEN T. COM
‘ MOPS of Macon/Forsyth
Fal|<finter
Air Corps
England while they worked
through immigration, and
finally went back and got
them and brought them
to Florida. He and Nancy
would have five children,
one of which died. Then
Nancy died rather young in
the 19608.
Jones spent 43 years as a
salesman for what became
Fry Wholesale, a candy
company, selling to stores
in five south Florida coun-
ties.
After 10 years as a wid—
ower, Jones married his
second wife, Nadine, and
each of them had three
boys and a girl.
When he wasn’t work-
ing, Jones loved to hunt,
whether deer in the Ever-
glades or caribou in Alaska,
where his son lived.
He retired in 1979 never
dreaming he would live to
be 100.
“Nobody in my family
has lived this long,” said
Jones. “My uncle Henry
lived to be 93.”
His second wife died
three years ago, after 39
years of marriage, and
Jones now lives with his
son in south Florida.
So what does he make of
the country today?
“Somebody’s played ill
with it,” sighed Jones. “I
don’t agree with a lot of
things going on now.’ ’
Jones said after he retired
in 1979 there seemed to be
a gap separating him from
current events.
“So much happened that
I can’t fathom,” said Jones.
Nevertheless, Jones said
he’s lived a good life, and
enjoyed his visit to Forsyth.
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Robinson, who lives in rep ace ey oo ey, ormer coun a minis ra-
Monticello, has served as Who was fired in lune after tor Gail King on an
interim 2560 US 41 South 0 Forsyth, GA 31029
Hen coun Assistant more than five years of basis until a new county
Finagée Direzor since jujy running the county’s fi- manager can be
found. WWW- m o p 5C0 n S I g n m e nt-CO m
2013, having previously nance department. Wooley .
servedas Director of Fi- failed t0 pay County payroll . ‘
nance and Administration taxes to the federal and Local Business ‘ a
and Assistant City Manager state governments in a
with the City of Fayetteville timely manner for two
40 Rumble Road, Forsyth, Ga. 31029
478-994-9282
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Eat - Learn - er Protessioally it:
August 23 at 12 noon In the 34
Fellowship Hall _’_ v an
Covered Dlsh Lunch “18 12:00PM .
The HALO GROUP of Middle Georgia mems 1‘0ch Tj‘m
ls neW'Y‘ermed "OP-Prom organ'zat'on End of Summer
Celebration Carnival .. . . . . l 75,
With a mission to train, employ and house To mark the end of Summer Reading
and all the hard work you w ; M j W , , p w a! - at
adults With intellectual and developmental put in reading this year,
Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 12:00pm t’ "it ‘ ‘ i "- cm
disabilities and autism. we will be celebrating with a carnival! There will
be food, fun, ‘
[may] 6‘ year” 42% 77,4”de 01p may] MOW] inflatables and activities
all over the place! (I:
. , Come celebrate your ROCKING READING summer! w
Follow our events on Facebook at ‘ ’ , r i ‘4
Monroe County Library
‘ 62 W. Main St - Forsyth, Ga 31029 478.994.7025
https://www.facebook.com/MtZionUMCSmarr/ or our
web page htth/wwwmtzionsmarncom
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