David Levi Jones, First Pulaski County Serviceman to Die in WWII

The Winamac Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) – Pfost-Jones Post 1728 – was named in honor of and in memory of the first servicemen from Pulaski County to die in WWI and WWII.

• Raymond Pfost, from Francesville, was killed in action on July 18, 1918.
• David Levi “Davy” Jones, from Thornhope, was killed in action on November 8, 1942.

This article focuses on Davy Jones, a young man who registered with the Selective Service System two days after his 18^th birthday. He was killed in the very first action he saw, at the age of 19 years and 15 days. Posthumously, he was issued one service ribbon for that action.

Family & Childhood

David Levi “Davy” Jones, born in Thornhope on October 23, 1923, was the son of Felix Gilbert “Gilbert” and Effie Clouse Jones. Thirteen children were born of this union. Davy was the eleventh child.

Gilbert Jones was a life-long resident of Pulaski County. Born in 1885, he died on June 18, 1938, at the age of 54. A newspaper account listed him as a farmer. Davy was 14 years old when he died. Effie Jones was born in 1886 in Rockford, Illinois. She was listed as a housewife. She died on February 6, 1975, in Logansport. Address records placed her in proximity with at least two of her children in the later years of her life. Both Gilbert and Effie are buried in Buck Cemetery in Van Buren Township.

The Selective Service registration listed his address as RFD 1 delivery, Star City. On that same document, his mother’s address was listed as Thornhope (Oak P.O.). The information tracks as correct, if incongruent. Thornhope residents of the time had Oak post office boxes, and residents of the area today are still a part of the Star City Rural Route 1 delivery system. This address did not help with the location of the house, but that information was obtained. It will be detailed below.

The Jones children, from oldest to youngest, follow. (Information from FindAGrave.com.)

• Mary Edna Jones, 1906-1918 (age 12), is buried in Buck Cemetery near Thornhope;
• Albert Clinton “George” Jones, 1907-1979, died in Cass County and is buried in Ever Rest Memorial Park in Logansport;
• Violet Reba Jones Raderstorf, 1909–1984, is buried in Buck Cemetery near Thornhope;
• Ralph “Dick” Jones, 1911–1979, died in Indianapolis and is buried in Buck Cemetery near Thornhope;
• Gladys Belle Jones Ortman, 1913–1942, per the Garrett IN newspaper, “The Clipper,” she died by her own hand; she is buried in Buck Cemetery near Thornhope;
• Thomas Leroy Jones, 1914–1985, died in Logansport and is buried in Ever Rest Memorial Park in Logansport;
• Harry A. Jones, 1916–1990, served in the U.S. Army during WWII, died in Michigan City, and is buried in Buck Cemetery near Thornhope;
• Charles Theodore Jones, 1917–1918, (age 1) is buried in Buck Cemetery near Thornhope;
• Marcelle Mae Jones Azbell, 1918–2000, died in Rochester and is buried in Ever Rest Memorial Park in Logansport;
• Calvin Lee Jones, 1921–1996, served in the U.S. Army during  WWII, and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport;
• David Levi Jones, 1924–1942, died in Africa and is buried in North Africa American Cemetery;
• Iris Iva Jones Ruffner, 1925–2016, died in Logansport and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport; and
• Alberta Fern Jones, 1927–2010, died in Munster and was cremated, location of ashes is unknown.

In the 1940 census, David Jones, age 16, lived in Van Buren Township with his mother, Effie, and seven brothers and sisters. The census taker went – in order of interview – from the home of Ida and Lola Thompson to the home of  the Jones family to the home of the Bonnell family. That census alone placed the Jones family in proximity to families on the near southeast side of Thornhope.

This writer saw a reference to “Davy Jones” in a WWII letter from Dick Thompson, my father. No one remains in that generation with whom to speak. I searched for family connections in several different ways. I called everyone I knew with the last name of Jones that lives now or used to live in the southeast corner of the county. I put out a Facebook request for information, naming a nephew and niece from Logansport.  The hope was that their mother, Iris, would have spoken to them about her brother, or possibly that they had letters or photographs. To date, we have not connected. The Pulaski County Genealogist dug into newspaper and military records, as did others in the community. I believed I had failed in the attempt to put a human face to this name, this casualty of WWII.

Then from that same Facebook request for information came a connection to a WWII veteran, Dale Russell, aged 97, who grew up in Thornhope. From a conversation with him, I was able to place this young man in very close proximity to my own family. Mr. Russell had a keen memory of the Jones family, as well as the Thompsons, and of course the Russells, Vangundy’s … all the families that lived in that area for generations. He named many of them, and those names were all ones with which I was familiar. Using that conversation and writings from my father and aunt, a picture began to form. 

We now know the Jones family lived on what was (at that time) the Vangundy farm. It was on the southwest corner at the intersection of what now are County Roads 400 East and 900 South.

At the time, this was a major highway, Indiana 29. While Indiana 29 was a major route from Indianapolis to Michigan City, it was still a gravel road. The route can be tracked by going north on 400 East, turning west on 900 South, then turning north again on 375 East. (See the inserted map.) In 1935, this state route was replaced with what Dick Thompson, this writer’s father, called a “concrete highway,” U.S. 35.

The Jones family home was across the road from Thornhope School and the Methodist Church, which stood together on the north side of 900 South. It was also across the road (400 East) from William Henry, Ida, and Lola Thompson. It was very close to the home of Adam and Vivian Thompson and the aforementioned Richard “Dick” Thompson.

The Thornhope School was built in 1924 and was the newest school building in the county at the time. Area students, for the entire period of time that a consolidated school building stood (as opposed to one-room schools), attended Thornhope through grade 8, moving to Star City School through graduation.  Two or three years after Dick Thompson “graduated” from Thornhope’s 8th grade in 1935, the Thornhope School was closed, and students attended grades 1 through 12 at Star City. The school closure would have been approximately the time Davy turned 14 and about the time that Gilbert Jones died. There is no record that Davy ever attended Star City School.

What we can say for certain about his childhood is that he lived on a major highway (gravel) across the road from the local school and church. He and his siblings were surrounded by dozens of other children and youth from the town and neighboring farms.

Dale Russell would have been 11 or 12 when Gilbert Jones died. He did not remember if Gilbert worked the land around the house or if he worked for farmers in the area. He assumed it was possible that Davy Jones, after his father died and after he left school, worked for one or more of the area farms.

Dale Russell, who was a few years younger than Davy, remembered the younger siblings of the Jones family, including Davy, Iris, and Alberta, attending Thornhope School. He remembered the girls attending Star City. He couldn’t say much about Davy’s childhood, because, as he said, there just wasn’t anything happening in those days. He said the town and neighborhood children would gather on nice days to play, often at the schoolhouse. He said they played games of all sorts, including long games of Hide and Seek when they wouldn’t go home until 9:00 at night.

He also spoke of playing in and around Indian Creek. The bridge on Indiana 29 heading toward the Thompson house, was, at that time, an iron trestle bridge. The children would climb to the top. They also played on a culvert that crossed the creek some distance east, still on Thompson land. His conversation of course included the Jones children in the mix, as well as children and youth from Thornhope proper. 

Because we have no information from the Jones family, but confirmation that the Jones children played with Thompson and Russell children, the following writing from Dick Thompson could describe some of those childhood playtimes.

There was plenty of room at Thornhope for games of all kinds. The Methodist Church, which stood next to the schoolyard, provided the “net” for a good game of “Andy Over the Church.” This game is played with two teams, one on each side of the church. A ball is tossed across the roof and whoever catches it on the other side tears over with his teammates to grab whoever he can and touch them with the ball. Whoever is touched by the ball has to join ranks with the other team, and whichever side ends up with all the players is the winner. Another rough-and-tumble game played was “Blackman.” In this game there are two long bases with one man standing in the center. The players on the two sides, once they start across, must continue, and if they are tagged by the man in the middle they must remain to help him capture more. The last to be caught is the winner.

From this writer’s aunt, Mary (Thompson) Powers, we know this about growing up in Thornhope.

I attended the “new” Thornhope Elementary School that was built, I believe, around 1924…. The “old” school [she is referring to the first school, not the second] was turned into a home and, I think, a garage business. It was on the west side of old US 29, opposite the little church. The “new” Thornhope Elementary School was very modern for the 1920s. It had three classrooms, a gymnasium with stage, restrooms, library and a “health” room…. The County Health Nurse and the County Agent, O. H. McNary, came together to do the checkups on all of us. We had a basketball team. At recess we would play baseball if the weather was nice…. We played “Ally Oop” over the little church to the north of the school. If a ball went down the chimney someone had to go to church early on Sunday before a fire was built in the stove…. Eighth graders, upon graduation, went to either Royal Center High School or Star City High School. I don’t remember all of my teachers, but Charles Byfield came to teach music when I was in second grade. I never had another music teacher. Marie Skillen, Dortha Surber and Alma Wirick taught at Thornhope. My 6-7-8 grade teacher was a man, but I can’t remember his name. Thornhope was a thriving community. We had Grants’ General Store, the elevator, a Post Office (we were Oak to the Post Office), and later Cliff McKee’s larger store and Post Office out near “new” State Road 35. The school was on what used to be State Road 29. It was a fitting community for a modern school building.

If Dick Thompson, Mary Thompson Powers, and Dale Russell are taken at their word, Davy Jones lived in a central location and had a ready group of friends with which to gather. As an illustration that they grew up in a bundle, the following is a comparison of the ages of the Thompson children and the younger Jones children. They attended blended classes at Thornhope: grades 1-2, grades 3-4-5, and grades 6-7-8.

Thompson Children and the Younger Jones Children

• • Marcelle Jones (b 1918)
  • Mary Thompson (b 1919)
  • Calvin Jones (b 1921)
  • Dick Thompson (b 1921)
  • Davy Jones (b 1924)
  • Iris Jones (b 1925)
  • Carol Thompson (b 1926)
  • Alberta Jones (b 1927)
  • Barbara Thompson (b 1928)
  • Billy Thompson (b 1930)

As we look back at the lives of family and friends, we tend to forget that they may have lived through times of great trial. Lasting from 1929 to 1941, the Great Depression was the longest and deepest economic downturn in the history of the United States. The Jones family were tenant farmers and/or tenants living in a farm neighborhood while the father worked for area farmers. It was a large family: 13 children, 11 that lived to adulthood. Mr. Jones passed away in 1938, during the waning years of the Great Depression.

Speaking of times of great trial, the children who died – Charles Theodore, age 1 (died 12/13/1918) and Mary Edna, age 12 (died 12/03/1918) – died in the same month during the Spanish flu epidemic. 

Davy, born in 1924, was a true child of the Great Depression.  From the Digital History website, we know this about farms in the Midwest. “No group was harder hit by the Depression than farmers and farm workers. At the start of the Depression, a fifth of all American families still lived on farms. These families, however, were in deep trouble. Farm income fell by a staggering two-thirds during the Depression’s first three years…. As farm incomes fell, farm tenancy soared; two-fifths of all farmers worked on land that they did not own…. [tenants] were slipping deeper and deeper into debt….”

From Mary (Thompson) Powers: “Life for [farm families] was like life for many others going up to, into and through the Great Depression. The farm families gathered together when the thresher arrived and worked until all of the fields had been cleared. The same thing happened with butchering. Not all of the area families butchered their hogs and cows, but those that did gathered at the home of the family doing the butchering, knowing that the favor would be returned when they needed help…. Christmas was almost always the same during those years. The [Thompson] children could count on receiving an orange and a book every year….” NOTE: The Thompson family was among the better off families during that period of time.

In a search of all available Star City School yearbooks, one photograph of one of the Jones children was found. In the 1942 book, the same year Davy died, but probably early in the year, the photo of 8th-grader Alberta Jones, the youngest child, was found.

DavyJones did not progress past the 8th grade. At the age of 14, the typical age of 8th graders, he lost his father. His mother continued to raise the last several children of her large family without a primary breadwinner and during what continued to be a desperate time for farm families. The Great Depression still had a couple of years in which to grind to a close. His local school had closed. The very next year, a war broke out in Europe.

This brings into focus a statement made by Dale Russell. “He enlisted when we were right in the thick of things.” While Dale remembers that he and others were impressed with him for having done so, it may have been the only opportunity this young man could grasp.

Service Records

On October 25, 1941, at the age of 18 years and 2 days, Jones registered with the Pulaski County Local Board of the Selective Service System housed in the Russell Building in Winamac. His vital statistics were listed as: height 5’8”, weight 138, eyes brown, hair brown, complexion ruddy. The person who would always know his address was listed as his mother, Effie Jones. He was listed as unemployed.

Two older brothers, Harry and Calvin, enlisted in the U.S. Army. According to a local newspaper, in December 1941, he failed his first U.S. Army physical examination. Undeterred, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in Kokomo on June  18, 1942. He received training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in North Chicago, Illinois.

USS Chicopee

Seaman Second Class David L. Jones served on the USS Chicopee from August 20, 1942 – September 30, 1942, probably boarding at Norfolk, Virginia. Chicopee was the lead ship of her class of oilers for the U.S. Navy during WWII. From August 20, 1942 to November 30, 1942, encompassing his time on the ship, the Chicopee was involved in fueling operations along the eastern coast of the United States.

USS Tasker H. Bliss

Jones was assigned to the USS Tasker H. Bliss on September 30, 1942.  According to records of the Bliss, while based at Norfolk in September she joined Task Force 34. She loaded troops and equipment to participate in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. 

According to newspaper accounts, Jones was granted leave to visit his family in October. A local newspaper dated October 22, 1942, noted he returned to New York City following a leave of “several days.” His brother, Calvin, was home on leave at the same time. 

While the newspaper had him returning to New York, by October 24-25 he had boarded the Tasker H. Bliss in Norfolk. The Bliss sailed for the coast of Morocco.

From this time on, his family heard nothing from him.

Why Do We Care About The Following World War II Information?

This writer likes to know how all the pieces fit together. My father (the aforementioned Dick Thompson) served in Europe during WWII. He was involved in several hellish battles, including the Battle of the Bulge. That was a famous battle, still remembered today, but it was only a part of Operation Overlord, which is not so easily remembered.

To discover any meaning for why my father was there, why he and hundreds of thousands of young men along with him went through Hell and back, I have always wanted to know how his small piece fit into a larger piece fit into an overarching piece fit into the whole.

If you want to know only about David Jones, that’s good, too. Just skip through all of the headlines that deal with the War until you see his name again.

Operation Torch, an Overview

What follows is an oversimplified version of a very complicated operation involving the Soviets, European allies, and the United States. To put it in a nutshell, the United States agreed to commit a total of nine combat groups to the North African theater. Seven groups were to be in operation by the end of 1942. This was called Operation Torch.

Operation Torch was riddled with political landmines and communication issues, not the least of which was the United States’ refusal to communicate with their allies. In addition were the diplomatic relationships between nations, or the lack thereof. The U.S. government, in 1940, established full diplomatic relations with Vichy France. In contrast, Vichy France severed relations with the United Kingdom in July 1940. For politics’ sake, the landing at French Morocco was to be British-free.

The operation was a compromise. It met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa. It allowed U.S. forces to engage in the fight against Nazi Germany and Facist Italy. It was the first mass involvement of U.S. troops in the European-North African Theatre. It attempted to ease pressure from the Soviet Union by drawing Germany’s attention elsewhere. 

From Naval History and Heritage Command:

The operation was planned as a pincer movement, with U.S. landings on Morocco’s Atlantic coast (Western Task Force—Safi, Fedala, Mehdia–Port Lyautey) and Anglo-American landings on Algeria’s Mediterranean coast (Center and Eastern task forces—Oran, Algiers). There was also a battalion-sized airborne landing near Oran with the mission to seize two airfields. The primary objective of the Allied landings was to secure bridgeheads for opening a second front to the rear of German and Italian forces battling the British in Libya and Egypt. However, resistance by the nominally neutral or potentially pro-German Vichy French forces needed to be overcome first.

After a transatlantic crossing, the Western Task Force effected its landings on 8 November. A preliminary naval bombardment had been deemed unnecessary in the vain hope that French forces would not resist. In fact, the initially stiff French defense caused losses among the landing forces. However, by 10 November, all landing objectives had been accomplished and U.S. units were poised to assault Casablanca, whose harbor approaches were the scene of a brief, but fierce, naval engagement. The French surrendered the city before an all-out attack was launched.

The Center Task Force, composed from assets based in the United Kingdom, also encountered resistance by French shore batteries and ground forces to its 8 November landings. Vichy French warships undertook a sortie from Oran’s port, but were all either sunk or driven ashore. After an attempt to capture the port facilities failed, heavy British naval gunfire brought about Oran’s surrender on 9 November.

Operations of the Eastern Task Force (also arriving from Britain) were aided by an anti-Vichy coup that took place in Algiers on 8 November. Thus, the level of French opposition at the landing beaches was low or non-existent. The only serious fighting took part in the port, where U.S. Army Rangers were landed to prevent the French from destroying facilities and scuttling ships. Resistance had been overcome by the evening of 10 November, when the city was surrendered to the U.S. and British forces.

Continuing, again from Naval History and Heritage Command:

The invasion of North Africa accomplished much for the Allies. Perhaps most important, American and British forces finally had seized the offensive after three years of German and Italian forces dictating the tempo of events. Now forced to fight on both its western and eastern flank, the German-Italian Panzer-Armee Afrika faced an additional burden of having its tenuous logistical train across the Mediterranean subjected to further attack. Bases in northwest Africa, meanwhile, could contribute to the prosecution of the anti-submarine campaign in the eastern Atlantic. The movement of some 100,000 soldiers from the United States and United Kingdom through hostile waters and on to contested shores demonstrated successful, if far from perfect, collaboration between the British and American staffs. Taken in combination with the Americans’ promising campaign in the Solomon Islands and the Soviets’ apparent ability to hold in the Eastern Front, the Allies were positioned significantly better in late 1942 than they had been in the early spring. As if to drive home this point, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs met at Casablanca itself in January 1943 to determine the next steps for further rolling back the Axis.

Despite these many positives, Torch also fell short of expectations. Tunis did not fall quickly to British and American forces. Their presence in North Africa and threatened assault of southern Europe also failed to draw away large numbers of Germans from the Eastern Front, a key strategic rationale given for the operation. At the tactical level, the assault upon Moroccan beaches revealed serious problems with the logistical, communication, and command-and-control approaches the Navy and Army employed for this major amphibious operation. The sailors and soldiers were also fortunate to face Vichy French defenders who fought with limited tenacity. To their credit, however, the American leaders acknowledged these various shortcomings and their good fortune. Almost immediately, they set to using this experience in preparation for tougher tests in the near future.

Operation Torch was considered a success, but it has been generally overlooked in popular histories of the war. The war’s narrative relies on the Allies working in lockstep with one another against the Nazis and the Facists. Telling this story – where French forces were the initial enemies of the landing – makes this a difficult fit into the war’s overall narrative.

The Naval Battle of Casablanca in a Nutshell

As this is the story of Seaman Second Class David Levi Jones, we will go to the part of Operation Torch that involved him specifically. This writer found it helpful to “place” him in this crucial war effort.  What follows is an illumination of the role his Task Group played.

The Task Group was negatively affected by forces they could not control.

• On November 7, a pro-Allied group attempted a coup against the Vichy command in Casablanca. Had it been successful, coup commanders would have surrendered French naval forces to the United States on November 8. The coup failed. Not only would naval vessels not be surrendered, the Vichy command was alerted to the invasion. Coastal defenses in Casablanca were put on alert, including French cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and land-based armaments. The Americans, who believed they would achieve their goal of landing troops without resistance, were caught by surprise.
• The Eastern Task Force, in Algiers, landed U.S. Rangers who caused six Vichy French Algerian land-based divisions to surrender. Germany viewed the surrender as a clear violation of French obligations to defend Vichy neutrality. In a decision that would prove fateful for the U.S. Navy in Casablanca and Fedala, Germany sent U-boats to guard their interests against both the United States and the French.

The Western Task Force had three Task Groups landing at three points in Morocco:

• Safi (Western Task Group),
• Fedala (Center Task Group, and the attachment of David Jones), and
• Mehdiya-Port Lyautey (Eastern Task Group).

At Safi, the objective was to capture port facilities to land medium tanks and 6,500 troops. The landings were begun without covering fire in the belief that the French would not resist. Once French coastal batteries opened fire, U.S. warships returned fire. Most of the landings occurred behind schedule.

At Fedala, the objective was to land the bulk of the U.S. troops, about 19,000. The Task Group was involved in a series of failed attempts to land troops due to French resistance and the weather.  In the battle that ensued on the first day, the Task Group, including the USS Tasker H. Bliss, received both torpedo and artillery fire.

As a point of interest, General George S. Patton, who was in command of the Western Task Force, was traveling with the Center Task Group. He disembarked at Fedala.

At Mehdiya-Port Lyautey, the objective was to land 9,000 troups. The Task Group became uncertain of their position, causing the first wave of troop landings to crash into rocks rather than land on shore. This gave the French defenders time to organize. The remaining landings were conducted under artillery bombardment.

French and U.S. forces traded fire through November 9. By November 10, all landing objectives had been accomplished, and the U.S. prepared to assault Casablanca. The French surrendered before a full attack was launched, and all naval vessels were turned over to the Allies.

Also on November 10, the U-boats ordered by the German command on the 8th reached the area. As the battle ended and victory was claimed by the Allies on November 12, the U-boats had done their damage.

November 8, Including David Jones and the USS Tasker H. Bliss

The Task Group to which the Bliss was assigned was responsible for getting the bulk (19,000) of U.S. troops ashore. As a reminder, the USS Tasker H. Bliss was a troop ship. Its only purpose in this battle was to disembark U.S. Army personnel so that Operation Torch could be successful. This was the important role played by the Bliss and by Jones.

Due to French resistance and poor weather, the Task Group in Fedala was able to land only 3,500 U.S. troops by dawn on the 8th. French submarines moved into defensive positions at 07:00. Fedala coastal defense batteries opened fire on the landing craft shortly after 07:00. At 07:20, U.S. destroyers and two cruisers supporting and protecting the troop ships and landing craft opened fire on the coastal batteries. At 07:50, French fighters rose to intercept a force of bombers from American carriers. A dogfight felled both U.S. and French planes.

West of Fedala, bombs started falling on Casablanca Harbor at 08:04. French ships moved out of the harbor at 09:00 under cover of a smoke screen. They moved east and attacked the troop ships anchored off Fedala, including the Bliss. By the end of this phase of the battle, nearly half of the 347 American landing craft had been destroyed and fewer than 8,000 troops had been landed. Five French submarines still stalked the invasion fleet in Fedala.

This link, a first person account, provides additional information if the reader is interested. This is from the book “Joining the War at Sea 1939-1945.” The Bliss is not mentioned in this account.

Death of SSC David Levi Jones

Seaman Second Class David L. Jones died on November 8. We  know the Bliss took both torpedo and artiliary fire during November 8. No accounts actually describe the specific time, place, and manner of his death. Frankly, early accounts place him on the Bliss on November 12.

What do we know? We have information enough to surmise his possible state of mind.

According to the Naval Institute, in an article written in 1924, “As a general rule the seaman second class, as now first received in the fleet, is painfully ignorant of ship life and of what is required of him aboard ship, although he is well versed in matters pertaining to life on a training station in barracks. It takes him several weeks to become oriented before he can be left to his own resources to do even the simplest job. These boys often appear dazed and bewildered when they first come aboard ship. Once the man new to the service is put aboard ship, he is swallowed up in a large ship’s company, and there is not time enough to teach him the rudiments of seamanship and naval life and duty. On a big ship, he must learn gunnery. On smaller ships he is kept busy mule-hauling.”

Jones signed up on June 18 and was assigned to an oiler on August 20. That was about 60 days of basic training. He served along the east coast of the United States for 40 days, until September 30. He had some days of leave in October (probably two weeks). He put to sea with the Bliss on October 24 or 25. The date of this action was November 8. He had fewer than 60 days on any type of ship, possibly 15 of those days on a troop ship headed to battle. If the Naval Academy’s article is to be believed, he was still learning the rudiments of ship life.

This was his first battle. He was barely 19 years old.

The Fate of the USS Tasker H. Bliss

On the evening of November 12, the Bliss was anchored in Fedala Roads when the German submarine U-130 slipped in and fired five torpedoes at three transport (troop) ships. All torpedoes hit their targets, and the three ships burst into flames. They were the Bliss, the Edward Rutledge, and the Hugh L. Scott. All were abandoned. Two sank shortly, but the Bliss burned until 02:30 the next morning, finally sinking. As with Seaman Second Class Jones, The Naval Battle of Casablanca was the first and the last service in WWII for the USS Tasker H. Bliss. The Bliss received one battle star for World War II service.

In the attached mortality list of the USS Tasker H. Bliss (Bliss Mortality List), David Jones is the only name with a death date of November 8. While the dates of death for some remain unknown, the date of death of most of the others is November 11. All online research points to the Bliss going down on the 12^th. The Rutledge and the Scott went down on the 12^th. 

This writer looked high and low for accounts of the Bliss in battle on the 8th but could find nothing. Attached is a naval history of the ship. (Tasker H. Bliss)

Newspaper Accounts of Seaman Second Class David Levi Jones

After Davy’s leave in October 1942, the family heard nothing from him. The following newspaper accounts detail the information that was available to Mrs. Jones.

• From a local newspaper, December 3, 1942. Communiques during the week reported Allied forces in North Africa destroyed 100 Axis planes and 21 medium tanks at the cost of nine Allied planes destroyed and four damaged. The War Department estimated U.S. Army and Navy casualties from the initial landings in the North African occupations: Army – killed, 350; wounded, 900; missing, 350; Navy – killed, 10; wounded, 150; missing, 150.  NOTE: It is highly likely Mrs. Jones was unaware that he was a part of the North Africa invasion. The U.S. Military kept these details quite secret; all letters written by servicemen were screened and redacted to preserve secrecy.
• From a local newspaper, December 16, 1942. THORNHOPE YOUTH INJURED IN AFRICA: Mrs. Effie Jones of Thornhope received word that her son David was wounded in action. He was on a ship that was sunk in action in Africa.
• From a local newspaper, December 17, 1942, Mrs. Effie Jones of Star City has received word from the War Department that her son, David Jones, had been wounded in action when his boat was torpedoed near Africa.
• From the Indianapolis Star, December 31, 1942. 31 HOOSIERS ON LATEST CASUALTY LIST OF NAVY; 4 DEAD, 14 WOUNDED: David Levi Jones, seaman, second class, naval reserver (mother, Mrs. Effie Jones, Oak). NOTE: Jones was listed as one of the wounded.

Finally, after months of waiting to hear news of her son, this newspaper account is given.

• From the Indianapolis Star, May 23, 1943. DIES OF WOUNDS Logansport, Ind., May 12, (Special). Seaman David Levi Jones, 19 years old, has died of wounds in the Pacific theater of war, his mother, Mrs. Effie Jones, was informed today by the War Department. Seaman Jones had been assigned to the naval transport, Tasker H. Bliss, which was sunk by the Japanese in the early part of November 1942, and it was believed that the youth suffered the fatal wounds in this action. He enlisted in the Navy in June 1942. NOTES: The ship was sunk by a German submarine. The War Department may not have been aware of his actual date of death at this time.

According to a May 1943 newspaper account, the letters written by family and friends to SSC Jones were returned to Mrs. Jones, and the American Red Cross was called upon to find the whereabouts of his remains. It appears either the War Department was not aware of the location of his remains or did not communicate the same to Mrs. Jones.

Several conversations today show that people are still confused about the location of his body. “He was lost at sea.” “He was among the missing.” “The boat was blown out from under him.” “There’s a memorial for him in Africa.”

He was never missing. His body was never lost. 

The War Department gave confusing and conflicting information, and that faulty data is still out there today.

It is unknown if he died immediately or if he died after getting to the ship’s hospital, but he died on the 8th. If his body was not removed from the ship before the 12th, it was removed as the ship was abandoned.

North Africa American Cemetery

Seaman Second Class David L. Jones is buried  in the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia: Plot A, Row 16, Grave 4.

The  Cemetery and Memorial is set on 27 acres and is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.  The cemetery contains 2,841 American war dead. The Memorial – the Wall of the Missing – is engraved with 3,724 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

A stunning video display of the cemetery can be found at https://www.abmc.gov/North-Africa.

Attached are documents that verify both his death (Jones Memorial) and his burial (Jones Burial).

Honors

American War Memorial, Gibraltar

The American War Memorial (also known as the American Steps or more formally the Naval Monument at Gibraltar) is a World War I memorial in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It was built for the American Battle Monuments Commission in 1933 and incorporated into the main city wall, the Line Wall Curtain. It commemorated the successful alliance of the United States and the United Kingdom in their naval exploits near Gibraltar during WWI.

In November 1998, a bronze plaque which commemorates Operation Torch was unveiled and added to the memorial.

Flowers are Cast Into the Sea

From the Pulaski County Democrat, October 24, 1946, “A wreath of red roses, one flower for each of the ten Pulaski County Navy and Marine men lost during World War 2, will be cast on the ocean on Navy Day, Sunday, October 27, in a tribute to their memory. The nation-wide ceremonies will be conducted by the Navy League. The roses will be sent to Chicago by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Winamac post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and, with other flowers from all over the United States, will be sent to special ships and planes for transport to sea, where the services will be held.”

David L. Jones was one of the 10.

Memorial is Dedicated at Star City

A memorial which began as a 60-foot flagpole became so much more for three Star City servicemen who gave their lives in World War II.

From the Pulaski County Democrat, June 3, 1948, comes this story.

The dedication of the Star City War Memorial Court, in connection with the Memorial Day program Sunday afternoon, was an impressive event. The memorial embraces the area on the school grounds between the school building and the gymnasium. The main feature of the court is a native boulder set far back into the enclosure. A bronze tablet on the stone carries this inscription:

“Dedicated to the men and women in the Star City community who served in World War II. In memory of the three who gave their lives. Robert E. Fahler, Inf.; David L. Jones, Navy; Richard B. Reed, A.A.F.”

A long narrow cement walk connects the boulder part of the memorial to a circular base for the 60-foot flagpole. On three sides of this are curved benches of Bedford Stone, each with a gold star for the three young men who gave their lives. Shrubs and plants were planted next to the buildings. The space behind the boulder forms a stage, and laurel and flower boxes outline the front of the area.

In the photo at the school, you can make out two brass plaques. When most of the school was demolished in the 1970s, the rock bearing the memorial was placed at Star City West Cemetery. The lower plaque is no longer there, but the plaque with their names is still attached.  The three benches, each enlaid with a star, are also missing.

Since the memorial was originally at the school, one would believe that the “Boomers” who grew up there would be familiar with the three names engraved on the plaque. Not necessarily so. Even though the school had a policy that the students in third grade would raise and lower the flag every day, this writer has no memory of being told about the men who died. (I spoke with other classmates as well, who didn’t even remember a memorial was in the courtyard.) I knew the name “Dick Reed,” because I knew his parents. In fact, my bad memory thought the memorial was only for him. I should have known the name “Bob Fahler,” because his niece was in my class. I had no connection with the name “Davy” or “David Jones” and never asked about him. My father, a contemporary and/or friend of all three, never spoke of WWII nor anything connected with it, including those who were lost.

Winamac Veterans of Foreign Wars, Pfost-Jones Post 1728

As stated at the top of this page, the Winamac VFW is named after the two servicemen who were the first from Pulaski County to die in service to this country in World War I and World War II. David  Jones is honored for his service and his sacrifice in this manner.

Priest Related to Pulaski County Residents was Also Killed on November 8

In a newspaper articled dated December 10, 1942, the region was informed that Chaplain Clement M. Falter, a professor at St. Joseph’s College at Rensselaer, was killed while his troop carrier was attempting a landing at Fedala. He was related to Pulaski County residents Frank and Edward Miller.

The message revealing his death stated – in a colorful manner – that the boat to which he was attached was attacked by dive bombers. According to information received by St. Joseph’s College, he had disembarked with his crew from the transport USS Joseph Hewes.

St. Joseph’s College published a Veterans’ Day tribute to Father Falter in 2018. From the end of that piece: “Other chaplains who were with Father Falter at an undisclosed U. S. Base preparatory to embarking for the African invasion paid high tribute to Father Falter’s popularity not only with his men but with his fellow priests. They said he had been particularly helpful to his fellow Chaplains in the preparations for the departure. Having been accepted by Bishop O’Hara for service in the Chaplain Corp, Father Falter left St. Joseph’s on February 23rd of this year and reported at Fort Monmouth, N. J. Having completed his basic officers’ training he was sent to Fort Ord, Cal., but was recalled shortly to be chaplain of the Seventh Infantry stationed at Camp Pickett, Va. He left this camp with his battalion sometime in the latter part of October, it is believed, and no word was received from him until the tragic news of his death was announced. His last letters to members of the faculty intimated that he would accompany his men to some foreign battle-front, and all were anxiously awaiting word of his safe arrival.”

In Closing

As an aside, most “Boomers” are familiar with the film Casablanca.

From Wikipedia: “Although an initial release date was anticipated for early 1943, the film premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York City on November 26, 1942, to capitalize on Operation Torch and the capture of Casablanca. It went into general release on January 23, 1943, to take advantage of the Casablanca Conference, a high-level meeting in the city between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Office of War Information prevented screening of the film to troops in North Africa, believing it would cause resentment among Vichy supporters in the region.”

Because of the secrecy surrounding communications of servicemen and women with their families, it is likely Mrs. Jones was not aware that Hollywood was capitalizing on the battle that caused the death of her son. She would have known he was in North Africa by the time the film went into general release, but at that time, she believed him to be injured.

This writer has many regrets. Among them is not having read her father’s letters until after his death. He did not want us to read them, and he didn’t want to talk about his experiences during WWII. But I wish, writing this piece, that I could have asked him about this young man.

The one piece of evidence I have that the two knew one another was a reference in a letter to his father. From Camp Hondo, Texas, in May 1943, he wrote, “I am sorry to hear that Davy Jones was killed. Be sure to give Mrs. Jones my sympathy.”

The young man my father referred to as “Davy” must have had a hard life. He came from a large family that, from all appearances, had to work hard to eke out an existence. Even surrounded by friends and playmates, he must have given his childhood to helping his parents with his younger siblings. As a young teen, he had to help his mother live from day to day.

He was never given the chance to see what and who he could become as an adult. 

We tried to honor him in his time: flowers cast out to sea, a memorial at a school which no longer stands, and his name which has lived for decades at the Winamac VFW. But those are only pieces, and so often, those pieces don’t come together to form a coherent memory.

His parents and a significant number of his siblings are buried near Thornhope, but no one from his family lives in Pulaski County anymore. No one who remembers him as a child still lives here. His neices and nephews who live in the region may or may not know anything about him. We don’t know. We have not yet connected.

He seems to have been forgotten over time, with only disconnected bits and pieces remaining to tell us he gave everything.

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Sources: The writer relied on a variety of web-based resources, including Wikipedia, Naval history sites, and Battleship history sites, and searches from local history and genealogy volunteers. Other sources include writings from the Thompson family and a conversation with Dale Russell.