Marine alum remembered

Although he had been interested in flying since he was 10 years old, it was his interest in helping others that drew Marine Captain Eric Jones, a Northeastrn alumnus, to helicopters, his mother said.
"Everybody has that dream of flying jets and everything, and Eric started off that way, and as time went on, he made the decision to go with helicopters," Cynthia Jones said. "His reason was because jets were too high up and he wanted to be near the guys, helping the guys on the field."
Capt. Jones, a 2004 Northeastern graduate, was one of 14 American military members who died in two separate helicopter crashes in Afghanistan Oct. 26. It was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan in more than four years.
Originally from Pound Ridge, N.Y., Capt. Jones, 29, graduated from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y.,  before coming to Northeastern in 1999. He was a third-generation Husky:  Both his father, Kenneth, and late grandfather, Alton, graduated from Northeastern.
"He loved Northeastern, he really did," Cynthia Jones said of her only child. "He had a great time. He loved his courses, he would come home and share them with us."
Capt. Jones enjoyed living in Boston, where he played for Northeastern's club lacrosse team and co-oped for AG Edwards, an investment firm, Cynthia Jones said. During his upperclassman years, he and his friends rented a house on St. Albans Road in Mission Hill that they nicknamed by its color – the "purple house." The nickname was one example of her son's sense of humor and that he was "the guy that put a smile on everybody's face," Cynthia Jones said.
Kenneth Jones agreed, calling his son "the king of one-liners."
Capt. Jones always had an interest in joining the military but solidified his decision after the events of September 11, Cynthia Jones said. After graduating with a BS degree in business, he was commissioned to the Marine Corps in August 2004. He received his flight wings in 2007 and was deployed to a five-month tour in Iraq in April 2008. In May this year, he was again deployed to Iraq before transferring directly to Afghanistan in July.
"The Northeastern family is deeply saddened as we mourn the loss of Eric Jones, a member of the class of 2004," Northeastern officials said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers go out to Eric’s family and friends; he joins a long line of Northeastern graduates who have served our country with honor. His service to our nation makes us incredibly proud and he will not be forgotten."
Visiting hours will be at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home at 74 Algonquin Ave., Mashpee on Friday from 4  p.m. to 8 p.m.
Funeral services will be at the John Wesley United Methodist Church, 270 Gifford St., Falmouth at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by a burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

1 comments

Marine Alum

Fri Nov 6 2009 13:41

Semper Fi, Sir.

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