The legacy of Captain Jason B. Jones, a native of Orwigsburg in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, was honored in a ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
During the April 25 event, Delta Company, 2nd Regiment, United States Corps of Cadets announced the creation of the CPT Jason B. Jones Award, an annual honor bestowed upon a graduating cadet who demonstrates exceptional humility, selfless service, loyalty, and the resolve to push beyond limits — qualities that defined CPT Jones throughout his life and military service.
In conjunction with the award, a meeting room in Dormitory D2, where Jones lived during his final three years at West Point, was renamed the Jason Jones Room and dedicated in his memory. Both tributes were unveiled during a special Commemoration Ceremony held in the Van Fleet Auditorium.
The keynote address was delivered by Sergeant Major Michael McCloskey of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). A comrade and friend who served alongside Jones during his deployment in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, McCloskey traveled from his home in Pinehurst, North Carolina, to speak at the ceremony. His tribute reflected on CPT Jones’s courage, leadership, and unwavering commitment to service.
CPT Jones graduated from Blue Mountain High School in 2003 before earning his commission from West Point in 2007, where he ranked sixth in his class and majored in Nuclear Engineering. A three-time competitor and captain of the D2 Sandhurst Military Skills Team, he was known among peers for his quiet confidence, grit, and character.
After completing Ranger School and the Basic Infantry Officer Course, Jones was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and later deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He held various leadership positions, including Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Air Operations Officer.
In 2011, CPT Jones volunteered for the Special Forces Qualification Course, which he completed in 2013. He was then assigned to the 1st Battalion, Special Forces Group (Airborne), serving as an Operational Detachment Alpha Commander. In April 2014, he deployed to Afghanistan. On June 2, 2014, CPT Jones was killed during a mission in the mountains near Jalalabad to liberate an Afghan village from Taliban control. In his honor, the Mission Support Site (MSS) where he was stationed was renamed MSS Jones.
CPT Jones’s distinguished service earned him numerous military honors, including two Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge, among many others.
In 2014, his classmates from Blue Mountain High School founded the Captain Jason Jones Memorial Foundation, which provides scholarships to graduating students from Schuylkill County and supports charitable causes benefitting veterans and Gold Star families. More information about the foundation is available at www.captainjasonjones.com.
CPT Jones is survived by his parents, Jay and Suzy Jones, and his sister, Dr. Elizabeth Gambogi.
