dougjones

DOUG JONES

1948 ~ 2002

Husband to Princess, Dad to a few and Grandpa! Doug was known by many names, but the one most of us call him is Jonesie.

Doug was one of the first to welcome me to the old VVets chatroom. Him being an ex-Marine and myself being an ex-sailor, we got along like squids and jarheads always do. He quickly became one of my best friends on the Internet as well as a much loved Bro.

Doug taught me, along with 9r5, how to design and use pop ups on talk city pirch. And it was there that we had our �friendly� cheap shot games of one upmanship with each other.

I was a long distance truck driver at the time and had the chance to meet him on several occaisions. The first time was at a truck stop in Statesville, NC. It was below freezing outside. I remember him come riding up on his scooter and I thought to myself, what idiot would be on a bike in this weather? Well guess what? It was Doug. We met there several times and I looked forward to seeing him each time.

I met Princess the first time with him in Birmingham, Al. They were there with Bro Straps and Lorree G. We stayed up late chatting and I was late getting to where I was going, but hey, I always try and make time for my friends.

After awhile, Doug and Mike 0341, insisted that I file my claim for PTSD with the VA. It is still working its way through the system, but if it hadn�t have been for him and Mike, I never would have done it. I have him to thank for his persistence.

But the thing that I�ll always cherish about Doug, is that he was a brother Vet from this country�s longest and most unpopular war. He along with the rest of us were forced to become men while we were still boys.

Now Doug is on the other side with his Bros. He is at peace now and not hurting anymore. A place we will all be at some point in time. The way I see it is that God had a job to do that his angels weren�t mean enough or tough enough to do so he called on Doug. Whatever it was, in my opinion, God made an excellent choice.

Doug�s passing left a big hole in all of us. I�m going to miss that big bear of a man with a heart of gold, but I'm comforted in the fact that I'll be reunited with him again someday.

So in closing, I say to you Doug Jones, �If you�re going on ahead and that�s the way its going to be, then when you hit those streets of gold, stake a claim out for me!"

I asked God for a flower, He gave me a garden
I asked God for a drink and He gave me an ocean
I asked God for a tree and He gave me a forest
I asked God for a friend and He gave me you, "Jonesie"!

There isn�t enough darkness in the world to put out the light of one
candle, and a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle as you have
done, Doug!I can only say, "Thank you, Doug jones for being a part of my life..."

Goodbye Jonesie with love.

Charlie Douglas aka Navysnipe USN RVN 1967-68

The following poem was written by Doug Joneses daughter, Virginia. She read it to her father at his Memorial service in Andersonville, Ga. on December 30, 2002.

LOVED BY ALL

Here lies a man
Loved by all
No one could have known
The reason for his fall

He served his country well
Strived hard not to die
How could we have known
The way our government would lie

Fathers, sons and brothers
All fought the good fight
The war finally claimed him
One fate filled night

He has now joined his bros
And many more will follow
Eternal piece for him
Leaves my heart a bit hollow

But we remain here
Through us he lives on
And I know that eventually
A brighter day will dawn

Just for today have a
Little Happy in your Sorrow
For his long war is over
Mourn a little more tomorrow

Just remember to hear this
Each and every day
Maybe then eventually
We will all be ok

For he's somber too
That he cannot be here
He wonders how without him
We will conquer our fear

Because he was always the one
To lend a shoulder to anyone in need
He'd feed ya a little confidence
Then make it grow like a weed

So he too worries how we will carry on
But he knows that we can
And I know that as long as we live
We'll never know a stronger, braver more lovingly caring man

I can go on living because I know I'm a better person
For simply knowing him
But yes there will always be a light in my heart
That eternally shines dim

For along with him goes that laughter
That always had a certian ring
And that certian smile on my face
That only HE could bring

But our few more years without him's just a blink in time
After that we will have all of eternity
Looking at it this way
Is all that helps me

Copyright� Virginia Lynn Jones ~ Hendricks
December 29, 2002

MIDI ~ Go Rest High On That Mountain
Written and recorded by Vince Gill
Sequencer ~ Uknown