Retired Gen. David C. Jones Dies

Retired Gen. David C. Jones, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and Air Force Chief of Staff, died on Aug. 10 in Potomac Falls, Va. He was 92. At the time of his death, Jones was battling Parkinson’s disease, according to the Air Force’s Aug. 14 release. Jones served as the ninth Chief of Staff from July 1974 to June 1978, after which he became JCS Chairman, a position he held for four years until his military retirement. During the latter post, Jones became a catalyst for the ensuing Goldwater-Nichols reforms that streamlined the military chain of command. Born on July 9, 1921, in Aberdeen, S.D., Jones grew up in Minot, N.D., according to the Washington Post obituary on him. He began aviation cadet training in April 1942, four months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and received his pilot wings in February 1943. During the Korean War, he amassed more than 300 combat hours flying bombers over North Korea. In 1969, he served in Vietnam as deputy commander for operations and then as vice commander of 7th Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force, Jones sat on the boards of corporations and nonprofit organizations, such as USAir, General Electric, and the American Red Cross, states the obituary. In 2008, Jones received AFA’s Lifetime Achievement award for his extensive career supporting the advancement of aerospace power. (Jones’ official Air Force biography) (See also AFA release.)