Tombstones can tell us stories

A simple tombstone in a small cemetery in Johns Creek marks the final resting place of a young man who died too soon. Ervin

O. (Oscar) Jones was killed in the World War II battle of Okinawa at age 20. His tombstone has a portrait of Ervin in his Army uniform, with his garrison cap askew as was often the fashion back then. He looks proud to be serving his country. This is his story together with four sub-stories.

I am indebted to Ed Malowney, president of the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society, who took me to visit Ervin’s tombstone. Thanks also to Craig Gleason former coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association who interviewed Ervin’s younger brother Curtis, Ervin’s last living sibling, a decade ago.

Ervin was born June 22, 1924, in Alpharetta, the son of H. (Harmon) B. Jones (1898-1983) and Jennie Mae Stapler Jones (1901-1988). His father farmed cotton and corn at the intersection of Jones Bridge Road and Barnwell Road, and Ervin grew up working the land. Growing up on a farm, hunting came naturally to Ervin, and he was known as an excellent shot. He joined the Army on April 10, 1943, at Fort McPherson in East Point near Atlanta, a major recruitment center during the war. He was only 19 years old.

Ervin was sent to the South Pacific in May 1944 and quickly saw action in Saipan and Leyte. The Battle of Saipan, in the Mariana Islands, was a major victory for the United States in June to August 1944. In October, U.S. troops invaded Leyte, 110 miles long with 4,000foot mountain peaks making it one of the largest Philippine islands. The U.S. won decisively in December.

On April 16, 1945, the 77th U.S. Infantry Division arrived on le Shima, a small island 3 miles off Okinawa where Ervin was assigned to a wire line team laying communication wires to support efforts to capture the important Japanese airbase on the island. What was expected to be a quick and relatively easy operation turned out be six days of living hell for the 6,100 U.S. troops on the island as dug in Japanese soldiers fought to the death and kamikaze pilots wreaked havoc on US ships offshore. By April 21 when the US troops accomplished their objective, the U.S. had lost 1,155 men killed, including Ervin who was shot on April 17 while singlehandedly trying to attack some Japanese soldiers who had pinned down his platoon.

Sub-story 1. Ernie Pyle was the most acclaimed war correspondent of World War II. He told the war’s story from the points of view of ordinary GIs and won their respect and that of the American public. He spent four years covering the war in North Africa, Italy and France before arriving on le Shima. On April 19, a jeep carrying Pyle and three officers came under fire from a hidden 30 caliber Japanese machine gun. Pyle was shot in the left temple and died instantly two days following the death of Ervin Jones at almost the same spot. Ervin died almost two years after he was sworn into the Army.

Sub story 2. Ervin had a dog named Champ, a bulldog mix who was never allowed in the house. When Ervin’s coffin was placed in the living room of the farmhouse at Jones Bridge Road and Barnwell Road, Champ barked incessantly and finally broke the screen door get in. He sat defiantly under the coffin and would not let anyone near it for several days until the hearse took it away. Champ followed the hearse 1 mile up Jones Bridge Road to the Pleasant Hill Cemetery and returned every day for the rest of his life to visit Ervin’s gravesite.

Sub story 3. When I visited Ervin’s grave, there were two pennies on top of the tombstone. A coin left on a headstone lets family know that another member of the military stopped by to honor the deceased. In military cemeteries, the coins are collected monthly and used for cemetery upkeep or for charitable reasons. Each type of coin has a special meaning. A penny simply means you visited. A nickel means you and the deceased went through boot camp together. A dime means you and the deceased served together. A quarter means you were with the deceased when the veteran died.

Sub story 4. A decade ago, singer/ songwriter Craig Gleason took his young daughter to visit the small Mount Pleasant Cemetery where Ervin is buried to teach her how cemeteries can help us learn about people who came before us. When he came across Ervin’s marker, he was overcome with emotion as he thought of this long-forgotten young man who gave his life for his country. Craig tracked down Ervin’s younger brother Curtis, now deceased, and learned enough about Ervin to compose a song as a tribute to his life. You can listen to his beautiful song by searching YouTube for “The Ballad of Ervin O. Jones.” You can also visit his website www/craiggleason.com.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net.