Howell Jones, 86, of Kittrell was drafted into the U.S. Army just as the Korean Conflict started. After Basic and Advanced Infantry Training, he was assigned to the West Coast of the United States where he and many other soldiers were shipped off to serve on the front lines of the Korean War. That was June 1950.
He was assigned to Company B, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Calvary Division. He quickly learned the techniques of combat operations and earned the stripes of a corporal. When the unit encountered a major North Korean Army unit in early 1951, around Teague, South Korea, he was wounded and sent home for recovery leave, promoted to sergeant and discharged.
Howell recently received the Korean Ambassador’s Medal for Peace. The accompanying citation presented with the medal thanked him for his dedication and valor while defending the Korean population from the invaders from North Korea and preserving peace. The citation was signed by the Minister of Protocol and Veteran Affairs, Republic of Korea.
Rich Heroux, a member of American Legion Post 187 in Wake Forest, presented the medal to Jones at a special luncheon held recently at the Franklinton Senior Center.
