The Eight Decade Anniversary of World War II: A Kentucky War Veteran Reminisces About His Service in the Lethal Conflict
Centenarian WWII Veteran Sanford L. Jones Sr. Shares War Stories at National WWII Museum
Sanford L. Jones Sr., a centenarian from Lost Creek, Kentucky, recently shared his experiences as a U.S. Army Air Forces gunner during World War II at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Born near Lost Creek in Perry County in 1922, Jones turned 100 on Sept. 22, 2022.
Jones' service in the European theater included 35 combat missions "in air battles of great intensity," for which he received a recommendation of valor. He was stationed in Naples, Italy, on May 8, 1945, and later assigned to a parts division in Florida before returning home to Lost Creek on Oct. 20, 1945.
Jones' wife, June Elizabeth Daugherty, died on March 23, 2019, at the age of almost 91. The couple, who were married on Aug. 18, 1956, had three children: Sanford Logan Jones Jr., Henry Mason Jones, and Catherine Elizabeth Jones.
After returning home from the war, Jones pursued education and earned a science degree from Eastern Kentucky State College (now Eastern Kentucky University). He later went on to earn a master's degree in science from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.
The event at the National WWII Museum commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which officially ended on Sept. 2, 1945. The deadliest conflict in history, causing the deaths of 70 million to 85 million people, saw Jones serving as an Army field doctor.
Emily Drake, a stenographer with the Women's Army Corps during the war, and Lewis Harned, a volunteer ambulance driver with the American Field Service in the war and a longtime U.S. Armed Forces doctor, were also present at the event.
In recent years, Jones' namesake son has taken him to World War II museums and reunions. Video of the National WWII Museum's commemoration ceremony is available on YouTube.
Jones' home in Lost Creek was one of many that were destroyed in a flash flood in July 2022. Despite this tragedy, Jones continues to share his stories of bravery and humility during the global conflict that ended 80 years ago. In October 1945, Jones received his discharge papers as a staff sergeant and returned home to rebuild his life. Today, he is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring impact of World War II on those who lived through it.
