The restored USMC uniform of a two-time world record holder

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It was my good fortune to acquire this uniform last fall. The research and restoration on MGySgt Jones uniform has been an ongoing task since that time, I hope you will approve.

The thread contains what I have found on the web, Leatherneck, Marine Corps Gazette and "Pro Quest". I began an outline shortly after acquiring the Tunic, however, upon discovering the article below, realized any I would compose would fall short of the mark. For anyone who has read the Leatherneck articles of the last century knows, Tom Bartlett can "tell a story", he is truly one of the best, most prolific writers in Leatherneck history.

Therefore I spent most of my time putting together his shooting history from available web info, his service records and USMC Competitive Marksmanship by Major Barde. It took no less than 5 requests from St Louis to get his "complete" (and I still believe it is not) records. To find his original service number was nothing short a miracle, as there were over a dozen Jones of WW1 era... and St Louis is not fond of searching records or sending complete records.

Enjoy, as you about to learn about a Marine who's shooting record places him in the top of among all the great competitive shooters the Corps has even fielded... I hope you approve!



Since suffering a recent stroke, Thomas J. Jones can't remember as well as he once did. He has lost weight and his hands aren't too steady anymore. He has half the appetite he once had, he shrugs it all off. "I ain't ready to kick the bucket yet, he grimed, showing a mouthful of his own teeth. Tom Jones doesn't have to rely on his memory to recall or recount his accomplishments as a Marine. Most of what he did is shown in black and white in the book, "Marine Corps Competitive Marksmanship" which was written by Maj Robert E. Barde of the Marksmanship Branch, Headquarters, Marine Corps. The book, published in 1961, is considered "The Bible" for Marine pistol and rifle shooting.

"Sometimes my mind gets mixed-up on dates or on scores that are important to me," Tom Jones admitted but I'll never forget when I retired from the Marine Corps. Henry (Jim) Crowe (an
outstanding Marine Corps shooter, and retired Marine colonel who won the Navy Cross) shook my hand and said, 'Tom, your whole life is the Marine Corps. You won't last a year in the civilian world. This time next year, you'll be 6 feet underground in a wooden box. "Well, you can tell ol' Henry Crowe for me that I'm still up and about. What he prophesied 46 years ago hasn't come to pass, yet!" Torn Jones recently greeted his 91st birthday.

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Hashmarks of Jones Greens

 

Tom retired from the Marine Corps after serving his country for over 30 years. His wife, Jean, served as a woman Marine during WW2. Their home is warm and bright, overlooking the suburbs of San Diego, Calif. A coffee table in front of the couch was covered with shooting badges, medals and ribbons. Tom became a Distinguished Rifle Marksman in 1920. He became Distinguished with the Pistol (Double Distinguished) in 1934. He was a member of the West Coast team that won the San Diego Trophy in 1922 and again in 1924. "That was a big thing" Torn explained, “In addition to the prestige, Marine members of the team received $10 apiece, and that was big money, back then”. He was also a member of the 1935, 1936 and 1937 National Trophy Rifle Team that won the coveted "Dogs of War" trophy. "I got a lot of memories" he admitted, I can't even remember what all those medals and doodads are about anymore. But no matter, hell, it was fun," said Jones

 

Tom Jones shrinks back from any reference to his being called "a living legend". "Nope, I'm far from being a legend. I was just doin what I loved and lovin' what I was doin'." Born in Sparta, N.C., in 1894, Torn bragged, "I'm a hillbilly from the Blue Ridge Mountains. My granddaddy was in the Civil War. James Calvin Jones was wounded four times. I guess you know he was a Confederate through and through. He was quite a man. "My daddy was just a young 'un during that war, but he was a part of it, too… "My daddy was a farmer, store owner, and sheriff, all at the same time. And I was raised on a farm of about 500 acres, and my brothers and sisters, and of course my mother and daddy, had to work all the time”.

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Jones Company around 1919 in Cuba

 

"But I got tired of working from daylight to dark. Hell, I was just a youngster, and had no life to call my own. So, when I was 15 years old, I headed west and went to a lot of places. I guess the happiest of times was when I herded sheep in Idaho. I liked it out there. They gave me a rifle, a dog and a horse, all the ammunition I could use, and 2,000 sheep. I'd go out in the boon-docks for about 30 days at a time. I'd shoot coyotes and trash rabbits. Oh, I was in hog heaven. What the hell, it was all fun. And I got to be a good shot." Time passed, and Thomas J. Jones emerged from his teen years. "I guess I was between 21 and 22 years of age when I decided to try to enlist as a Ma-rine. That was in 1916, "I passed all right. I was right around 6 feet tall, I weighed 170 pounds, and I was muscular and healthy. "I went on down to Parris Island, (S.C.) for boot training, and I qualified as expert with the rifle. Once I graduated from recruit training, I went on sea duty in the USS Saratoga and USS Maryland, but I can't recall which one came first.

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Jones photo found on web approx 1921

 

Young Tom was gaining a reputation as being more than just a "fair" rifle shooter, and in 1919, was selected to be a contender for a spot on the Marine Corps Rifle Team. “At that time, five members of the team had to be new guys on the block,” he recalled, five men who had not previously competed in certain events were to fire, I was one of the younger shooters being considered,” Tom continued. "Things were different back then. Marine shooters were not known to be overly friendly, not even to teammates. I guess that was because a good shooter could earn as much as $300 or $400 during a shooting season. There was this grizzly old Marine Warrant Officer John J. Andrews on our team. We were firing the 1,100-yard Libbey Match at Sea Girt, (N.J.) in 1919. He had just finished firing and I was heading up to shoot. I asked Mr. Andrews' advice about elevation” I remember it as though it were yesterday. Sir, how much elevation did you use? "Just enough," the Marine officer replied. "Well, let me tell you, that was a learning experience.

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Original description from AGM sale

 

I got me into position and cranked on what I figured would be the correct elevation, and I squeezed off my first round. I needed an eight minute correction. I guess I don't have to tell you that I did miserably. After I had finished, I happened to walk by Warrant Officer Andrews, and he asked me how I did. I told him, honestly, that I did terribly. "He chewed me up one side and down the other, telling me that I should have known that I would have to move my sights up two minutes because of the headwind, two more for the light of the day, two more for the temperature, and another two because I was shooting through a cold rifle barrel!" Marine Private Tom Jones was a quick study.

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During the United Services Matches of New England in August, Tom Jones was one of the first shooters at the firing line to compete in the Campbell Match. "We were shooting prone from the 300-yard Line. It was chilly and there was a drizzle. We were shooting at an 8-inch bull's-eye. "I called for two sighting shots. My first was a four, and my second sighter was a center bull." Jones fired his 10 shots. All bulls. Because he fired a "possible," he had the right to continue shooting until a shot drifted out of the black. Another shooter, a civilian (G.L. Cutting), had also fired 10X10 for a possible, and he, too, would continue shooting. Jones would fire, then wait for his target to be spotted. Cutting would then shoot, and as he waited for his target to be marked, Jones would fire. A "time Out" was declared when workers of the pit detail (those marking the targets in a protected tunnel called the "butt detail" or "pits") had to put new centers on the shooters' targets. Jones had held his shots so close that he shot up four white spotters, and had hit the fifth several times.

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Cutting and Jones were firing single shot Springfield '03 rifles, with open metal sights meaning that each shot had to be hand-fed. After each shot, the spent casing had to be removed by hand. Each movement, loading of a round or extracting the spent round, required a change in position. (Today's competitors, firing the M-14 or the M16A2 rifle can hold a good, firm prone position because the weapons are fed by magazines holding from eight to 30 rounds and many use telescopes.) Cutting fired 100 rounds into the 36-inch bull's-eye. His 101st. shot was a four. Jones' streak continued...100...110... 120...130 consecutive bull's-eyes. And still it rained. Finally, on his 133rd shot, he scored a four. What was he thinking as he fired so consistently? "Well, I had two things on my mind, really. First, the prize for winning the Campbell Match and a brass and mahogany clock. I sure wanted that clock.

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You don't become a "living legend" by a single accomplishment. The mark of a true Marine Corps legend is the ability to repeat or to accomplish even more than the expected. It was 1921, and the Marines were again firing at Sea Girt. There were some changes. The long range "C" target would measure 30 inches instead of the 36-inch bull's-eye used at Camp Perry. Torn Jones would prove that his 133 consecutive bulls at Wakefield were not "luck." He would shoot the Libbey Match, an event requiring two spotter shots, and 15 shots for record from a distance of 1,100 yards in the prone position. He was firing in the fifth relay. The best score of the four preceding re-lays was a 74. "My first shot was a three hanging out about four o'clock," he recalled. "I added about two minutes of elevation, and I put on a hint of windage. My second was a bull. And then I fired 10 more shots in the bull. "As the barrel of the rifle heated up, the bullets began to climb up the target, so I had to hold the rifle down some. Because I had put 15 rounds in the black for a 'possible,' I was entitled to continue shooting. So I did.

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LUMBERTOH, NORTH CAROLINA MONDAY, SEPT. 5' 1921. PAGE EIGHT

NORTH CAROLINA MAN WINS WORLD RECORD

Sergeant Thomas J. Jones, a U. S. Marine, is declared winner of Libbey Trophy and holder of two new

World's Records. When the smoke of the last shot had drifted from over the firing line of the great rifle range at Sea Girt, N. J., at the completion of the famous Libbey match early last week. Sergeant Thomas J. Jones, a U. S. Marine and a native of North Carolina, was declared the winner of the

Libbey trophy and the holder of a new world's records.

 

Sergeant Jones set the remarkable record of 66 bullseyes at the long range of 1100 yards, a record that

will read like fiction in the annals of rifle shooting. After centering perfectly the fifteen shots required bythe match, Sergeant Jones continued to fire until he had rolled up a total of sixty-six. The annual matches at the Sea Girt range consist of 48 events, of which the Libbey match is considered the most important. Teams from both the Army and Navy competed. A Navy representative took second place with another marine a close third.

 

Sergeant Jones, who is 27 years old, first enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1916. He is a son of Mrs. M. E. Jones, Scottsville, N. C. Sergeant Jones soon gave proof of his prowess with a rifle on the range at

Paris Island, the Marine training station. He won promotion and his services as a rifle coach were much

in demand, the Gulf Coast Military Academy being among the organizations to request his services. He remained at Paris Island, however, where he participated in several competitions, winning numerous medal sand trophies.

 

Another world's record was set by him in his recent winning of the Campbell match at 300 yards. He fired 133 consecutive bullseyes in this event, exceeding the previous record by more than thirty bullseyes.

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Jones seated far left after pistol matches

 

"It's funny the things that you re-member. But now, recalling something that happened 64 years ago, I can remember the cook coming up around the line and he was yelling 'Chow Call! Chow Call!' But nobody went into the mess tent. They wanted to watch me shoot. "And even the cook shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'The hell with it,' and he stayed behind the line to watch me shoot, too. Well, I tried not to disappoint anybody. After my 60th shot was recorded as a bull's-eye, the scorer had to yell to get another scoreboard, so I was able to relax a little. "And then began shooting again. I finished with 66 shots in the black. My 67th shot went out into the white for a four."

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The only photo of Jones in his service rcords, post boot camp photo

 

Two days later, Tom Jones competed in the Winchester Match. "Some tough shooting had been going on in that match," Tom recalled. "It was an 800-yard match, and there had been so many possibles scored, that one of our Marines fired a possible and 10 additional bulls, I was only in 47th place! I knew I had to do better. 'Good' was bad." Tom cranked off 98 consecutive bull's-eyes before dropping out of the black. He had done his best, but would it be good enough? "Hell, no!" Tom smiled. "We had this young Pfc, Ted Crawley. He shot 177 rounds into the black before he slipped out into the white. I came in second best, and it wasn't even close!"

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Jones standing, third from right

 

When not shooting, Jones was a coach, or what today is referred to as a "PMI!' —Primary Marksmanship Instructor. "I was making rank and doing what I loved; shooting. I was one of the first group of Marines promoted to master gunnery sergeant. I think there were six of us in that first group. (He was right; "The Ironman," William A. Lee and "Mickey" Finn were also in that first group.) But one of his proudest moments arrived in 1939. He would be among 2,000 others shooting in the prestigious "President's Match”. The event was fired from the 200-, 600- and 1,000-yard lines for total score. After shooting from the 200- and 600- yard lines, he realized that he had dropped only two points (98 out of 100). As he completed firing his 10th round from the 1,000-yard line, he began picking up his gear. The scorekeeper handed him his scorecard, which he was asked to sign. Tom looked at what had been recorded. He felt sure that his seventh shot and one other had been "[ours" and yet the scorekeeper had recorded the seventh round as a "bull" (five). Jones carried the scorecard up to the Chief Range Officer who ruled that the value of a shot may not be changed after another round has been fired. MGySgt Tom Jones was credited with a 49X50 from the 1,000-yard line, and his score was published as 147. He had won the President's Match! With a 636 in the National Rifle Association Aggregate, he also won the coveted Wright Memorial Trophy. The shooting records established by Tom Jones are even more amazing when you consider that he accomplished it all using a bolt-action rifle with iron sights!

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Jones following the “Presidents Cup Match”

 

Following the match, the Marine senior staff noncommissioned officer received a letter: "Dear Sergeant Jones: It gives me great pleasure to extend hearty congratulations in recognition of your achievement in winning the 'President's Match,' at the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. I am informed that you came out first in a field of more than 2,000 of the finest riflemen in the United States. The long and arduous hours of training necessary to acquire the fine balance of mind and body required to win this match against such competition have been fittingly rewarded with this rare distinction. Please accept my best wishes for your continued success." The letter dated September 25, 1939, came from the White House and was signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States. "I consider some of the letters that I received more prestigious than some of my medals," Tom Jones said. "I got one from Edwin Denby, the Secretary of the Navy, and from John A. Lejeune, Major General, Commandant of the Marine Corps, commending me for breaking two world records in 1921. "The first letter that I received from a Secretary of the Navy came in 1921, and it was signed by Theodore Roosevelt. He wrote: 'It is straight shooting that made this country a country originally, and in time of need, it will be straight shooting that will keep it a country in the future.'"

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Jones on the 37 mm cannon also know as the 1 pounder, in China

 

"During my 30 years service in the Marine Corps, I spent about nine years overseas," he said. "I can't remember all of the details or the places that I've been," he admitted. Douglas C. McDougal, recognized as one of the finest shooting Marines in the early 1900s, wanted all of the Marines in his unit down there to be qualified riflemen. He worked with all of us on our positions until every Marine in his outfit was qualified. "I know, too, that I was with the Fourth Marine Regiment in Shanghai in 1934, one of the ships that I was on caught fire, and we had to jump Ship. When World War II began, Tom tried going overseas. "I requested to get into the fight, but the brass felt that I was too damned old. I was 47 in 1941." He was made noncommissioned officer in charge of the Camp Calvin B. Matthews ranges. "The first time they sent me out to take over the ranges was back in November 1920," Tom recalled. "We had one cook, 10 privates, and lots of tents. We had a single range and a messhall and bathhouse. Then, when I went back to take over in 1941, we had 185 rifle targets, a pistol range and a BAR (Browning automatic rifle) range. We had permanent buildings and messhalls," he continued, "We fired 69,208 recruits on those ranges in 1942." Torn Jones was senior enlisted Marine to a group of more than 700 Marines permanently assigned as coaches or in support of the Camp Matthews ranges. Another one of Tom Jones' mementoes is a letter of commendation from A. A. Vandegrift, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, citing Jones for meritorious achievement as NCOIC of the rifle ranges from December 7, 1941, through December 7, 1945. The letter reads in part: "...(he) supervised the training in rifle marksmanship of approximately 200,000 Marines, many of whom were recruits firing for the first time.., resulting in an average qualification record of over 85 percent..." Tom Jones retired from the Marine Corps after serving and shooting for 30 years and went to work at the Navy Repair Facility at San Diego. I didn't start wearing glasses until I was 60 years old.. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Tom continued shooting, competing as a civilian. He continued leaving his mark, and walking away with medals and trophies. He won the California State Rifle Championship (479X500- 18V) in 1946, and he continued winning long-range matches. "I did fine, just fine," he said. "I've gone from about 175 pounds down to about 140.

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And I can't eat very much anymore. I used to walk a lot, but I can't do that, either. I know that I'm lucky. Damned lucky. I don't have pains or anything. I just don't have any ambition." Tom Jones walked slowly over to the coffee table. He idly ran a hand through the mass of medals and ribbons. His deeply tanned hand stopped and rubbed a Distinguished Rifleman's Medal. The retired Marine set many shooting records while breaking others. And he did it when the Marine Corps boasted such marksmen as Calvin A. Lloyd, William Ashurst, Douglas McDougal and Morris Fisher. He beat them all! "I read through my scrapbook every now and then," he explained. "I don't do it to brag. I do it to try to remember. Some people get old and they have their memories. I have headlines and news-paper stories and a drawer full of medals, but I just can't recall too much about them all." Tom grinned a bit and dropped his head. A bit of red showed through his tanned face.... He can still blush at 91!

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Of interest in then Captain Douglas C. McDougal (a Distinguished shooter - later asst Commandant of the Marine Corps) would be his first Company CO upon arrival in Cuba. Obviously then Captain McDougal saw enormous potential in this young protégé

 

Qualifies as Expert Rifleman 1916-1917-1918-1919-1920-1921-1922-1923-1924-1925-1926-1927-1928-1929-1930-1931-1932-1933-1937-1938-1939-1940-1941-1943-1944-1945

 

Qualifies as Pistol Expert 1923-1927-1928-1929-1930-1933-1935-1936-1937-1938-1939

 

Career highlights

1918 promoted to Sergeant (for duration of war)

1919 promoted to GySgt, (Technical Warrant) in charge of RR at Gitmo.

1919 Assigned as Midshipman Range Detail Coach and subsequently as orderly to the Commandant of Midshipmen, Naval Academy.

1920 promoted to permanent Sergeant

1927 promoted to Gunnery Sergeant

1936 Is promoted with the first group to be selected to new rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant.

1937 selected for promotion to “Marine Gunner” – turns down the promotion

1942 selected for promotion to “Marine Gunner” – turns down the promotion

Qualified as 1st Class Signalman 1917

Assigned as Naval Academy Midshipman Range Detail Coach and subsequently as orderly to the Commandant of Midshipmen, Naval Academy. (1919)

Courier for the American Minister Peking China (1927)

Took part in the first Shoochow incident (1932)

Sea Duty: aboard the USS Idaho, USS Maryland & USS Saratoga

Of note: one of 82 shooters to become “Double Distinguished” prior to WW2

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1918 - First competition shooting award, Gold Medal in West Indies Division Matches

 

1919 – Attends his first matches at Wakefield (results unknown, participates in Marine Corps Rifle Team Matches at Sea Girt (results unknown), A team mate at the time was Sgt. Morris Fisher, ironically the pair would take over the recruit training ranges during WW2, Jones would at MCRD San Diego and Fisher at MCRD Parris Island.

 

1920 - Participates in Elliot Matches (Quantico) with the Marine Corps Rifle Team, Awarded two silver medals in East Coast Matches. Team awards unknown. Jones is awarded his USMC “Distinguished Rifle Shooter” Badge.

 

1921 – with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in May, with team in Wakefield (Jul/Aug) and Camp Perry in September. Establishes the World’s record at Wakefield in making 132 consecutive Bulls eye’s on the 8” target at 300 yards in August 1921. Establishes the World’s record at Sea Girt NJ in September 1921 making 66 consecutive Bulls eye’s at 1100 yards in winning the Libbey Match. In this year, The USMC team won all four National events in one season, a feat that has only been accomplished one other time, the USMC team of 1928. No other team has ever accomplished this feat.

 

1922 – with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in June, with team in Wakefield (Aug) and Camp Perry in September. With the winning USMC National Team Match Team, placing in 200 yd rapid fire, the Marine Corps Match, Slow Fire Pistol Match, Slow Fire Reentry Match,

 

1924 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in June, with team in Wakefield (July) and Camp Perry in September.

 

1925 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in June, with team in Wakefield, won the Turner and the Neider match (July) and Camp Perry in August, were the team won the “National Match”

 

1926 - No National Matches

 

1926-1934 Stationed in Guam and China.

 

1927 – 1934 participated in Asiatic Division Matches, results unknown.

 

1932 – 1934: No National Matches (depression years – some regional matches)

Of Note: between 1926 and 1934, Jones was not able to participate in any National Matches, a 9-year dry spell

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1934 – awarded his USMC “Distinguished Pistol Shooter” Badge.

 

1935 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in June, with team in Wakefield (June) and Camp Perry in August - awarded Gold medal (Individual Rifle Match) awarded first place team Gold Medal

 

1936 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in June, with team in Wakefield (June) and Camp Perry in August – awarded Gold medal (Individual Rifle Match) awarded first place team Gold Medal & bronze medal for individual pistol match, won the NRA re-entry Rifle Match and placed in the Leech Cup and The President’s Matches

 

1937 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in May, with team in Wakefield (May) and Camp Perry in August

 

1938 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in April, with team in Wakefield (May) and Camp Perry in August - awarded Gold medal (Individual Rifle Match) and placed in the Marine Corps Cup and the National Individual Rifle Match.

 

1938 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in April, with team in Wakefield (May) and Camp Perry in Augus

 

1939 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in May, with team in Wakefield (June) and Camp Perry in August

 

1940 - with MC Rifle & Pistol Team in Quantico in May, with team in Wakefield (May) and Camp Perry in August

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Jones either won or placed in the following NRA – USMC shooting matches (team or individual):

 

- The “Dog’s of War” National Team Trophy (1921-22-25-35-36-37-40)

- The Campbell Match (1919 & 1921)

- The Bancroft Match (1921)

- The Bailey Match (1921)

- The Libbey Trophy Match (1921)

- The AEF Roumanian (1921)

- The San Diego Trophy (1922)

- The Members Match (1922)

- The Marine Corps Match (1922)

- The Hyden Team Match (1922)

- The United Service Match (1922)

- The AEF Roumanian (1923)

- The United Service Match (1923)

- The Turner Match (1925)

- The Neider Match (1925)

- The United Service Match (1925)

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- The Haines Trophy (1927)

- The Fourth Marines Cup Match (1931)

- The Marine Cup Match (1931)

- The Kansom Cup Match (1931)

- The Far East Pistol Team Competition (1934)

- The San Diego Trophy 1935(2x) Individual Rifle Match (3x)

- The Enlisted Men’s Cup (1935)

- The Hayden Match (1935)

- The National Individual Rifle Match (1935)

- The Hennrick Trophy Match (1935)

- The National Rifle Team Match (1935)

- The AEF Roumanian (1935)

- The National Trophy Rifle Team Match (1935)

- The San Diego “Bear” Trophy (1936)

- The Baranov’s Trophy (1936)

- The Hank Adam’s Trophy (1936)

- The Hamilton Trophy (1936)

- The Leech Cup Match (1936)

- The President’s 100 (1936)

- The National Individual Rifle Match (1936)

- The National Individual Pistol Match (1936)

- The NRA Re-entry Rifle Match (1936)

- The National Trophy Rifle Team Match (1936)

- The San Diego “Bear” Trophy (1937)

- The Marine Corps Cup Match (1937)

- The Enlisted Men’s Trophy Team Match (1937)

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- The National Trophy Individual Rifle Match (1937) Note: this was the fifth consecutive USMC title

- The National Rifle Team Match (1935/36/38/39)

- The Hennrick Trophy Match (1938)

- The Enlisted Men’s Trophy Team Match (1938) coached by Gunner Lloyd, the eighteen-man team won a second year. The match required each man to fire twenty rounds from 1,000 yards without a telescopic sight, incredibly the team firing in successive pairs, turned in a PERFECT SCORE. The October Issue of American Rifleman called it “one of the greatest feats in shooting history”

- The Leech Cup (1939)

- The Appreciation Cup (1939)

- The Hennrick Trophy Match (1939)

- The Lee O. Wright Memorial Grand Aggregate was won by Jones this year, composed of his total scores in the following matches; Navy Cup Leech Cup, Coast Guard Trophy, Marine Corps Cup, Wimbledon Cup and Presidents Match (1939)

- “The Presidents Match” Jones final conquest, also won this year, beating out 2032 competitors, which incidentally was the greatest number of competitors ever gathered for a shooting match up to that date. (1939)

- The “Dog’s of War” National Team Trophy (1940)

- Note: this information was collected during research of The leatherneck Magazine, The Marine Corps Gazette, on-line materials and “ProQuest”

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With the looming tensions across the world the end of a "shooters dynasty" would draw to a close. In 1941 the National Rifle Matches were canceled and Jones talents as an instructor and range coach knowledge were put to work. A teammate in his first National Match (1919) would Sgt. Morris Fisher, ironically the pair would take over the recruit training ranges during WW2, Jones would running the ranges at MCRD San Diego and Fisher (recalled from retirement) running the ranges at MCRD Parris Island, for the duration of war. Jones and Fishers tenure in next five years at the ranges, was in no small part, a factor in the final outcome of victory over Japan in 1945.

 

Some years following his retirement the “T.J. Jones Small Unit Trophy” was established for outstanding marksmanship during requalification firing at Camp Mathews. In 2010 the Marine Military Academy General H.M.Smith Foundation (in memoriam) inducted MGySgt Thomas J. Jones, USMC (Ret) and wife Jean of La Mesa, California, into the Smith Foundation. The General H.M. Smith Foundation Dinner, a revered and prestigious annual MMA tradition honoring the memory of U.S. Marine Corps General Holland M. Smith--famed war hero, benefactor of children, and staunch donor and supporter of Marine Military Academy, was created in 1970 as a means of expressing gratitude for the extraordinary support given by General Smith towards the school’s growth and development and those that share his dedication to MMA.

[BEAST]

Man, I love it when a uniform has a history like this! When you bought the uniform, did you have any idea about the history? How did you know where to start?

 

Nice job on the restoration too!

[TLeo]

That is quite a history behind that uniform. Great job on the restoration and really super find!

[teufelhunde.ret]

Man, I love it when a uniform has a history like this! When you bought the uniform, did you have any idea about the history? How did you know where to start?

Thanks! Yes I did have an indication of of its rich background. It was brought to my attention by fellow member "Mark M" on the day the catalog opened. After a few web searches, I knew it would be "special". Mark did warn me about the tribulations of finding his original service number... it took 3 months.

 

The initial web search is what put me onto the trail of his history. Barde book while "good" is truly incomplete as it relates to individual records. For that it was a dogged search of Leatherneck and "pro quest". I still feel there are areas over-looked, matches missed, etc. Sadly early USMC records... are at best incomplete!