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Technician Fifth Grade E.
Carter Jones
U. S. Army
Ser. #
18 228 116
October 7, 1926 -
November 18, 1946
Cedarvale Cemetery
Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas
Gold Star Mother
Lucy Vandiver Jones |
T/5 E. Carter Jones
Task Force Frigid Bud Budvarson
File Photo 1946
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"Devils in Baggy Pants"
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Technician Fifth Grade E. Carter Jones, U. S. Army [October 7, 1926
- November 18, 1946] was born to Thad Carter “T. C.” Jones [June 22,
1901 - February 18, 1980] and Lucy (Vandiver) Jones [August 29, 1901
- July 20, 1985] at Matagorda County, Texas. When Carter was born
the family was living in Matagorda County, then they moved to
Freeport, Brazoria County and then returned to Matagorda County.
Information about Carter’s military service is very sketchy at best.
According to the news article concerning his death, it states he had
been in service approximately three years at the time of the
accident, which would indicate he had joined c.1943/44. There is an
enlistment record stating he enlisted March 23, 1946 - which was a re-enlistment. This was done at Fort Bragg NC where
the 82nd Airborne Division was located. Following the
surrender of Germany, the 82nd was ordered to Berlin for
occupation duty. The division returned to the United States January
3, 1946. Instead of being demobilized, the 82nd made its
permanent home at Fort Bragg, NC, and was designated a regular Army
division on November 14, 1948. In early 1946 the U.S. Army
announced that three special task forces would be organized to
conduct winter exercises. Task Force WILLIWAW was destined for Adak
(in the Aleutian Islands); Task Force FROST was destined for Camp
(now Fort) McCoy WI; and the largest being Task Force FRIGID
(Carter’s assignment) with 1500 military personnel, was also sent to
Alaska. Both FRIGID and WILLIWAW formed at Ft. Ord, CA while FROST
assembled at Camp McCoy. TF FRIGID sailed from San Francisco, CA on
September 7, 1946 arriving at Whittier, AK on September the 11th,
and arrived at its home for the winter - Ladd Field (Now Ft.
Wainwright) on September 12th. In September 1945
relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union worsened and the
possibility of armed conflict played an important role in the Army’s
plan to conduct winter operations in the Arctic. TF FRIGID was
termed a unique outfit comprising “one of everything” in the Army
ground forces. On November 18th a mass parachute jump
was conducted in which Carter participated. According to ground
observers his chute tripped from the carrier as it was supposed to
do, but failed to billow out and retard his drop as did his reserve
parachute. His remains were
returned to Bay City and interred at Cedarvale Cemetery. He was
survived by his parents, T. C. and Lucy, who were living in Bay
City.
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Remembrances of T/5 Richard N. "Bud" Budvarson
Company A 505th 82nd Airborne
Task Force Frigid 1946-1947
Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska
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T/5 Budvarson served with T/5 E.
Carter Jones on Task Force Frigid and upon finding this
page dedicated to T/5 Jones, sent the following
remembrances and four pictures.
I was asked to
go with Task
Force Frigid as
the Official
Photographer for
the 82nd
Airborne. My job
in the Army
Airborne was
"Official U.S.
Army News
Photographer." I
was drafted into
the Army in 1944
and after
Airborne Jump
School I got
into Photography
School and
became an
Official
Airborne News
Photographer and
I only carried
News Cameras.
The War ended in
Aug. 1945 and I
was to be
discharged Dec.
13, 1945. In
Nov. 1945 as my
discharge time
was getting
close my
commanding
Officer asked me
if I would
volunteer to be
the Official
Photographer for
the Special Task
Force the Army
was putting
together. This
would mean I had
to re-enlist
into the Regular
Army for the
duration of the
Task Force,
which I did Dec.
14, 1945. In
reading T/5
Carter Jones
story he also
re-enlisted in
the army so he
did the same
thing I did.
That was why his
story showed a
re-enlistment
into the Army as
he was asked to
volunteer.
Everyone on the
Task Force was a
specialist in
what they did or
they would not
have been asked
to go. When you
are asked to
volunteer by
your commanding
Officer it is
hard to turn
down as it makes
you feel
special. In
reality Task
Force Frigid was
a total
Volunteer Task
Force but you
had to be asked
to volunteer so
everyone felt
special to do
the job at hand.
We were all
still young kids
but felt old
after the war.
I jumped with
him when he
jumped and
witnessed the
double streamers
as we in the
airborne called
it when both the
main parachute
did not bellow
out and we
called it a
streamer. Then
Carter pulled
the reserve
parachute and it
also went into a
streamer, hence
the double
streamers and it
killed him. I
remember we had
a memorial for
him which I
attended at our
base at Ladd
Field,
Fairbanks,
Alaska.
After the war
and my discharge
I continued on
in News
Photography and
after School
under the GI
Bill I have been
in the newspaper
publishing
business all my
life. I started
my life time
career during WW
II.
June 21, 2013
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E. CARTER JONES KILLED MONDAY
IN MASS PARACHUTE JUMP
T/5 E. Carter Jones was killed Monday
in a mass parachute jump, according to a War Department
telegram received by his mother, Mrs. T. C. Jones, here.
According to information received
from the United Press Bureau in Washington, the youthful
soldier was a member of the 505th Parachute regiment
stationed at Ladd Field, Alaska. T/5 Jones was with
Task Force Frigid at the time of his death.
Carter,
as he was known to his friends here, has been in the
Army approximately three years. He was recently
reassigned to Task Force Frigid and left for Alaska with
his unit several months age.
No further details concerning the
young man’s death were immediately available.
The Daily Tribune, Friday,
November 22, 1946
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At left
Wreaths Across
America 2019
Photo courtesy of
Kenneth L. Thames |
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Army Sergeant Writes
Of Jones’ Death
 A
letter with a clipping from the Fairbanks Miner enclosed was
received here this morning from S/SGT J. S. Orsak of Co. B, 66th
Tank Battalion of Task Force Frigid. The clipping concerned the
recent death of T/5 E. C. Jones who was killed in a mass parachute
jump during maneuvers. The sergeant’s unit was on maneuvers at the
time T/5 Jones was killed.
The
Miner item states that a board of officers is conducting an
investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. It also
was reported that ground observers said that Jones’ parachute
tripped from the carrier, but failed to billow out and retard his
drop.
Memorial services were held Saturday in the Ladd Field Post Chapel.
Jones’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. C . Jones reside here.
The Daily Tribune, Wednesday, November 27, 1946
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T/5 E. Carter Jones with Honor guard after Memorial service
at Ladd Field Chapel, Fairbanks, Alaska Dec. 1946
Task Force Frigid Bud Budvarson File Photo Dec. 1946
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T/5 E. Carter Jones placed in transport vehicle after Memorial Services
at Ladd Field Chapel, Fairbanks, Alaska. Dec. 1946
Task Force Frigid Bud Budvarson File Photo Dec. 1946
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A LIFE SAVED!
This photo taken in 1947 during a Task Force Frigid parachute jump a month after Trooper Carter Jones was killed with a parachute double streamer.
The man on top is Pfc. Kenyon & on bottom is Cpl. Harris. They drifted together in mid air and Cpl. Harris's parachute collapsed. Kenyon quick thinking held onto Harris's parachute lines and both landed safe in the snow. Jumping out of airplanes with a WW II parachute was not a safe thing to do. But these special men did it and helped win WW II.
Task Force Frigid Bud Budvarson File photo, Jan., 1947
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JONES
 Memorial services for Lucy
Vandiver Jones, 83, of Bay City, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at
First United Methodist Church of Bay City with the Rev. Bill
Leediker officiating.
Mrs. Jones was born Aug. 29,
1901, in Texas, and died July 20, 1985, at Matagorda General
Hospital.
She was a member of the Bay
City Rebekah Lodge, Gold Star Mothers of the American Legion and
First United Methodist Church of Bay City. She was a charter member
of the Pink Ladies at Matagorda General Hospital and was named Woman
of the Year of Bay City in 1960.
Survivors include a
daughter, Linda Mann of Bay City, two sisters, Jane Lee and Nora
Zeweckies of Richmond; a brother, W. G. Vandiver of Bay City; two
grandsons, William Carter Mann of Needville and John Floyd Mann of
Kosse, Texas; four great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by
her husband, Thad Jones, and a son, Carter Jones.
In her will, Mrs. Jones
donated her body for medical study.
In lieu of flowers, the
family requests that memorials be made to a favorite charity.
The Daily Tribune,
July 1985
Photo courtesy of Faye Cunningham
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JONES
Thad Carter Jones, 78, of
Bay City, died at Matagorda General Hospital on February 18. He was
a member of the AARP and was a retired oil field driller. He was a
resident for the past 25 years. Survivors include: wife, Lucy
Vandiver Jones of Bay City; daughter, Linda Mann of Bay City;
preceded in death by his son E. Carter Jones who was killed in World
War II; two grandchildren: Billy Carter Mann and John Floyd Mann;
one great-grandchild, Brandi Mann, numerous nieces and nephews. The
funeral will be held on Wednesday at the Taylor Brothers Chapel at
10:30 a.m. Arrangements made with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home.
The Daily Tribune,
February 18, 1980
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