Thursday, Nov 15, 2007
As the Star-Spangled Banner waved proudly overhead, park rangers James C. Bailey, Benjamin Kreshtool and park volunteer William Priest marched through the 200-year-old gates of Fort McHenry as part of a solemn color guard honoring Lloyd E. Jones, posthumous recipient of the Bronze Star on Veterans’ Day. Rangers, a platoon of Navy reservists in dress uniform, and approximately 350 visitors watched as the Bronze Star and a flag flown over Fort McHenry were presented to the family by the commanding officer for the Navy Operational Support Center, Fort McHenry.
“Fort McHenry is a living park, its status as a shrine, and the action it saw contains powerful meaning to people – interpretation isn’t just about talking about the past, it is about establishing relevance to the present,” said chief of interpretation, Vincent Vaise. “Our neighbors at the adjoining Naval Center came to us and asked if the Bronze Star could be awarded in the park with NPS Rangers participating and we said ‘you bet.’”
Lloyd E. Jones was mortally wounded in 1969 while fighting off an ambush in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. His actions saved his patrol boat. In spite of his sacrifice it took almost 40 years before his Bronze Star would be posthumously awarded. Starting in 1995, Lloyd’s brother, LeRoy Jones, who also served in the Vietnam War, spent over a decade conducting research and writing letters. After contacting senators, archivists and a three-star admiral, his devotion paid off. One week ago, the chief of naval operations authorized the Bronze Star. The ceremony was a centerpiece of the park’s Veterans Day activities, which included talks on the origins of Veterans Day, living history demonstrations and a wreath-laying ceremony.
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