Flying high: Former naval commander fondly recalls ship

Retired Cmdr. John Jones of Lawrence spent 24 years in the Navy, several of which were aboard the USS Midway.

Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Jones feels sad and privileged when he thinks about one of the Navy’s most beloved ships — the aircraft carrier USS Midway.

Jones served on her crew for 2 1/2 years, flew aircraft from her decks and was part of her decommissioning process in the 1990s.

“The decommissioning period was a difficult time for everyone involved,” Jones says. “Midway was a very capable ship with a remarkable history going back nearly 50 years. Taking it apart and seeing its 4,500 crew transferred was very sad.”

Jones was born in Lincoln, Neb., in 1948, three years after Midway’s launch. His father was a naval officer, and Jones loved hearing stories of his travels.

“When he served in Hawaii from 1956 to ’61, I got to be around ships a lot,” Jones recalls. When he graduated from high school in Tennessee, he entered college at Doane College in Nebraska, majoring in philosophy.

In May 1970, he joined the Navy and reported for training at Newport, R.I. The next year was a busy one. He was commissioned as an ensign in February, married in May, attended flight training in Florida and Georgia, and received naval flight officer wings in November.

During the next few years, he flew many different aircraft, including T-2 Buckeyes and T-39 Sabreliners from a wide range of ships, including the USS Saratoga, John F. Kennedy and Lexington. He flew A-4 Skyhawks as part of the chief of naval training staff in Texas. After becoming a flight instructor, Jones spent three years serving throughout the Mediterranean.

He admits flying high-powered aircraft on and off the ships was highly dangerous — even in peace time.

“A ship’s deck is a tight space. Takeoffs and landings can be pretty challenging,” he says. “Over the years, 40 colleagues died in flying accidents.”

Jones says he’s pleased safety has improved greatly over the years, and naval flying accidents are rarer.

After graduating with a Master’s in Education degree from Old Dominion University, Virginia, in 1985, he was thrilled to be assigned to the USS Midway in Japan in 1989 as strike operations officer.

During Operation Desert Storm, Jones helped coordinate missions for all four aircraft carriers serving in the Persian Gulf. The Gulf War ended at midnight Feb. 27, 1991, and preparations began for USS Midway’s return to San Diego for her final decommissioning. Jones served as first operations officer, then support department head during this process.

When it was completed in April 1992, Jones was appointed to the Reserve Officers Training Corps at Kansas University, where he was associate professor of naval science.

He retired from the Navy in 1994 and now does contract work at Fort Leavenworth for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

“I’ve had a wonderful life and feel privileged to have been involved with one of the Navy’s great icons — the USS Midway,” Jones says. “I’m happy she’s now a museum in San Diego so people get a chance to learn about her great history and service.”