Airman warrior receives Purple Heart, five other awards Published May 7, 2008 Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- A 99th Air Base Wing chief of exercise plans and programs here received a Purple Heart and five other medals and badges at a ceremony in the base Officers Club May 5. Maj. Anthony Jones was recognized for his distinguished service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he survived three rocket attacks, suffered two concussions and contributed to saving 90 people's lives. Lt. Gen. John Bradley, Air Force Reserve Command commander, presented Major Jones with the awards. "We're here today to honor you and thank you for your service," General Bradley told Major Jones. "The Purple Heart is a very special decoration. It's something we proudly pin on people, and I'm honored to pin it on you today." Major Jones was injured twice by enemy fire in OIF while serving as director of the Army Personnel Recovery Coordination Cell, Iraqi theater of operations. He suffered a concussion on Sept.11, 2007, from a 240 mm rocket attack and a second concussion and shrapnel wounds on Oct. 25, 2007, from a 107 mm rocket attack. On Sept. 11, 2007, Major Jones helped save numerous lives when his base, Camp Victory, was attacked. He was outside the Coalition Headquarters, Al Faw Palace, when a 240 mm rocket exploded 100 feet away from him, tossing him to the ground. Although he suffered a concussion, Major Jones immediately began triaging injured personnel, providing medical care to the most severely wounded and helping load the triaged personnel. Major Jones could provide critical emergency care because he always carried a personal medical kit. Major Jones said he got a lot of grief for always wearing his personal medical kit. "But when it came down to it, I used it," he said. "I was proud to wear it." In a later rocket attack on Oct. 10, 2007, Major Jones again helped save lives, earning the Joint Service Commendation Medal. When Major Jones heard rockets explode nearby, he grabbed his emergency medical bag and ran toward the location of impact. He saw a truck with people inside that had taken a direct hit and was leaking fuel. Major Jones immediately helped remove the two individuals from the truck, carried them to a safe distance and administered life-saving treatment. He was able to triage the soldiers' injuries, directing and providing medical care until emergency medical personnel arrived. Major Jones earned the Purple Heart and the Army Combat Action Badge following an attack Oct. 25, 2007. That morning, Camp Victory was again barraged by 107 mm rocket attacks. When the attack began, Major Jones instinctively dove to the ground but was caught mid-air as a rocket hit 15 feet to his right, thrusting him against a concrete barrier. Major Jones lost consciousness and suffered a concussion and multiple shrapnel wounds. Despite his injuries, when Major Jones regained consciousness, he entered a nearby destroyed trailer to search for and retrieve any occupants. Major Jones cleared the trailer of all personnel, then his wounds were discovered and he was medically evacuated by helicopter to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in the Green Zone. Major Jones earned the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his leadership actions and the lives he saved while serving in OIF. His primary duty was to provide personnel recovery expertise to senior leadership. He coordinated and controlled all personnel recovery, combat search and rescue operations in the Iraqi theater of operations. He was also responsible for training all high-risk-of-capture personnel and for the repatriation of all isolated personnel. Although wounded in action, Major Jones led more than a dozen combat personnel recovery operation. Earning a Purple Heart seems to run in Major Jones' family. His father, Walter Jones, received a Purple Heart as a Marine in the Vietnam War after suffering similar combat wounds. "We couldn't be more proud of him," Mr. Jones said, speaking for Major Jones' mother, Anna Jones, as well. "We're glad to have him home safe." Although Major Jones' combat actions may be considered heroic, he is quick to deny the title of "hero." Instead, Major Jones prefers the term "warrior;" he claims he simply did what he was trained to do. "We fall back on what we've been taught--that's why we train," Major Jones said. "Over your career, you can say 'how much time did I spend in self-aid buddy care?' but the moment there's blood around, you remember it." Major Jones has been a resident of Nevada since 1986, when he arrived here and assumed flight instructor duties at the Combat Aircrew Training School. Before moving here, Major Jones flew with the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. In 1983 he participated in operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, and in 1990 and 1991 he also served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Major Jones left active duty in 1992 and was placed in the Individual Ready Reserve program. After Sept. 11, 2001, Major Jones volunteered and was accepted back into the Air Force Reserves as an individual mobilization augmentee. As a reservist, Major Jones is assigned to the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency in Fort Belvior, Va., and is currently attached to the 99th ABW here. During his last deployment, Major Jones also received the Iraq Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Air Force Reserve Medal with the "M" device, and the Air Force Expeditionary Ribbon with Gold Border for combat operations. As a civilian, Major Jones opened and managed the House of Blues Foundation Room atop the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Currently he is a personal protection specialist and director of Crisis Response International Counter Terrorism Training School in Las Vegas.
