Thomas R. Jones, Sr.
Born: 1944 in Quincy, Illinois
Died: October 7, 2017 in Springfield, Illinois Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Tom was born in Quincy and spent his childhood in Peoria and Chicago. He lived in Springfield from 1980 until his death. Biography: Tom served as a Senior Hospital Corpsman with the 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam. As part of a six man team he went on Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LURP) deep into communist insurgent territories. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Services Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. After Vietnam he attended the Navy's Nuclear Medicine and Radioisotope Laboratory at Great Lake Naval Hospital. He also assisted returning veterans in reintegrating to civilian life. Returning to civilian life, he served as Regional Trauma Coordinator at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, and was one of the architects of the Illinois Trauma Program - a nationally recognized emergency medical response system. He was elected to the Peoria County Board of Supervisors where he chaired the Tax Committee. He held several executive positions that included Assistant Director of Illinois Depratment of Veterans Affairs, Information Systems Consultant to Motorola, Inc., and Chief Administrator of the Public Pension Division. In Spring 2010, Tom retired from his position as the Chief Deputy Director of Budget and Fiscal Management for Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White. Tom wrote a body of work that included future science fiction, historical fiction, stage plays, and poetry. In 1988, his mind still hounded by his war experiences he began writing 'Lost Survivor.' It was published and distributed nationally in September 2006 by Independent Publishers Group of Chicago, Illinois. This book reveals the human experience of war like 'The Red Badge of Courage' and 'All Quiet on the Western Front.'An articulate and engaging speaker, Tom shared his particular war experiences of the survival journey required by the return to civilian life plus anecdotes garnered from his work as a counselor to other veterans and their families. Tom was also a much requested speaker on the topic of the similarities/differences between the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, citing the unique impact of deployment of our National Guard Units.
Awards:
Thomas R. Jones on WorldCat : http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=thomas+r.++jones%2C
Selected Titles
Lost survivor : ISBN: 0975884069 OCLC: 65184228 Pitch-Black LLC in association with J Publications, Springfield, Ill. : ©2005. JD, a black American soldier survives the Vietnam War, but finds his return home to Springfield, Illinois thirteen months later to be another survival test. |