Frank W. Jones

Biography:  Frank Wesley Jones was born on September 25, 1909 in Vine Grove, KY.  He was the son of Jesse Hume Jones and Anna Jestine Yates and attended Woodland School through the 10th Grade.  He worked for the Kentucky State Highway Department before entering the service.

Service Time:  Frank joined the Army on March 20, 1942 at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana and was assigned to the 638th Tank Destroyer Battalion.  An early photo has him assigned to Company F during his training but he would later be assigned to A Company and serve as a TD Commander. 

The 638th arrived at Cherbourg, France in September and supported operations at the Siegfried Line and within the Ardennes in December and German advances in January,1945.  They then saw action at the Roer and continued to Rhine and reached the Elbe in April.  The unit received credit for four campaigns, including Northern France, Rhineland, the Ardennes and Central Europe. Frank left the service at the rank of Sergeant.

After returning to the states, Frank had a number or jobs, including a fireman, a warehouseman and a janitor.  On June 2nd, 1949, he married the former Lucille Frances McMenama of Bagdad, KY.  She was the daughter of John Charles McMenama and Martha Frances Miles.  The new couple would live in Ekron, KY and have one son, John, born in 1952.

Frank didn't really have any hobbies but he was a member of the United Methodist Church in Brandenburg, OH.  On January 18, 2003, Frank passed away and was buried in Brandenburg, KY.

I want to thank Frank's son John for providing the photos and information for this article.  He also provided additional photos of Frank and the 638th, which are available in the Photo Gallery of the 638th.