The Philadelphia Eagles will honor two fallen heroes with a helmet decal during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. Among them is Orwigsburg native and US Army Capt. Jason Jones.
The Eagles are honoring military veterans this week because of a bye next week.
Jones is being honored alongside Robin Towns.
“The tribute is just wonderful to both gentlemen who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Jay Jones, Jason’s father, told The Canary on Friday. “It’s really a great honor.”
Jones tells us the family are big fans of the Eagles and he’s touched that the team would honor his son as they’re doing.
“This tribute brings back fond memories,” he said. “He was an Eagles fan all the way. I’m sure Jason is looking down and he’s embarrassed as heck because he was such a humble guy. We’re proud and thankful to the Eagles.”
Orwigsburg Fallen Hero Capt. Jason Jones Honored by Philadelphia Eagles with Helmet Decal
Both Jones and Towns, according to the Eagles, were inspired to join the ranks of the enlisted following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Jones enlisted soon after the attacks. Towns, the Birds say, had already spent 16 years in the US Army but joined the Army National Guard following 9/11.
Jones told us that he took his son and some friends to Ground Zero following the the terrorist attacks and that trip really transformed him and led him to his pursuit of being a soldier.
“He just loved this country,” he said. “He was a great soldier and a great supporter of the country.”
Jones was killed in action on June 2, 2014, during Operation Enduring Freedom. He succumbed to injuries sustained during a firefight in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
Towns died when the vehicle he was in on Oct. 24, 2007, was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device in Baiji, Iraq.
Eagles helmets will feature a decal honoring both these American heroes when the host Dallas on Sunday night. The decal is the result of a partnership between the Eagles and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which works with surviving family members of fallen soldiers.
The game will air on NBC at 8:20 p.m.
Jones graduated from Blue Mountain High School in 2003.
He graduated sixth in his class from the United States Military Academy-West Point in 2007 with a degree in nuclear engineering. After graduation, he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Bragg, NC.
Jones first served as a platoon leader in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2013, Jones completed a Special Forces Qualification Course and was deployed to Afghanistan a year later.
For more on this story, check out the tribute by Vaughn Johnson of the Eagles here.
Donate: You can donate to the Captain Jason Jones Memorial Foundation through its website.
Photos: West-point.org, Depositphotos.com
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