JONES, Melvin H.

Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona December 17, 1981, page 8 Melvin H. Jones was born in Brigham City, Utah on January 13, 1905, and died on December 12. As a young man of 16 he falsified his age and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. At the completion of his required time in the Navy he enlisted in the U.S. Calvary, advancing to the rank of Colonel during World War Two. He served in the Korean War and was Military Attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Bogata, Colombia, South America. After 30 years of service in the military he retired in 1956. He later received a degree in Geology. Among his many decorations he was awarded the Bronze Star, Soldiers Medal, Congressional Life Saving Medal, was named Knight Commander and adviser to the President of Colombia and received the Order of Cordoba for the Republic of Colombia. He was also a member of the American Institute of Mining. Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineers, and is listed in Who’s Who in the West. He is survived by his wife of more than 23 years, Anamaria Veliz-Chacon Jones, a son Melvin Martin Jones, both of Wickenburg and Las Vegas, Nevada; a daughter Francoise Jones Ball of Garden Grove, California; a son-in-law James Ball, three grandchildren, three nieces and one nephew. Burial will be at golden Gate National Cemetery in San Francisco, California.