Bradenton veteran leads life of quiet citizenship and service to neighbors
There is no strut or swagger to Charlie Jones.
He’s just Charlie, even though he has been a high achiever throughout his life.
He enjoys helping a neighbor with a problem at their house, or getting on his tractor and clearing debris after a hurricane.
The 88-year-old Army veteran knows how to get things done.
Quietly, he continues to lead a life of good citizenship.
In Vietnam, he commanded a battalion artillery group of 800 men in First Field Force.
He suggested, rather than bullied, insisted on competency, tolerated no profanity, and took care of his men so well that he lost none to enemy action.
In the second half of his tour in Vietnam, he served as corps artillery adviser in the IV Corps tactical zone, the southernmost corps in Vietnam.
He still has the daily records of helicopter flights that took him to places like Moc Hoa, Chau Doc, Tri Ton, and Cambodia where he checked on his troops before his tour of duty ended in August 1970.
If there is something not right, you should correct it. If you can’t correct it, forget about it. Don’t dwell on it.
Charlie Jones
“My time in Vietnam was the highlight of my military career,” Jones says. “The men in my unit were all-American boys. I never had any problem with them whatsoever.”
He retired from the Army with the rank of full colonel, two awards of the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Bronze Star Medal, and an Air Medal, in 1975 after 23 years service, and returned to his hometown of Bradenton.
Despite entreaties from some to stay on active duty, where he seemed sure to earn a star as general, he felt he had accomplished everything he wanted to in the military.
Jones’ family had moved to Bradenton in 1933. He wanted to return home, where he had fished the teeming waters around Anna Maria Island, grown up on a farm and delivered newspapers for the Bradenton Herald, pedaling his bike 18 miles a day on his paper route.
In high school, he set the state record for the high hurdles and low hurdles and won a track scholarship to the University of Florida, where he majored in agriculture. He earned his commission as Regular Army officer through ROTC at Florida, where he was the distinguished military graduate.
There he met his wife of 67 years, Bette Jean, who was a cheerleader. The couple have four children, 23 grandchildren, and 37 great-grandchildren.
After leaving the Army, he started Charlie Jones Wholesale Nursery on three acres in Northwest Bradenton, and within five years expanded the operation to 55 acres and 15 employees.
“Charlie was never a colonel after he retired,” Bette Jean said. “He is the godfather of 9th Avenue Northwest. He takes care of everybody. I’ve often said that after I die, I want to come back as the neighbor of Charlie Jones. He never complains about anything.”
Jones says that staying active is the key to his longevity.
“If there is something not right, you should correct it. If you can’t correct it, forget about it. Don’t dwell on it,” he said.
James A. Jones Jr.: 941-745-7053, @jajones1
This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Bradenton veteran leads life of quiet citizenship and service to neighbors."