There are a lot of American volunteers who went to Ukraine to offer their aid in various forms. Today, we honor Memphis-based Joshua Alan Jones, who joined a volunteer troop fighting with the Ukrainians.
Two other American volunteers have reportedly died in battle, making Jones the third identified American killed in the war.
Jones’ mother, Misty Gossett, spoke about her son’s death on social media as she urged families and friends not to reach out to the media until Jones’ body had been retrieved.
“Our main goal is to get his body home, saying the wrong thing could affect this for us, his family,” said Gossett, who lives in DeSoto County, Mississippi. “We all want to celebrate his life and share our stories, but sadly, this is not the time. Our boy is in an active war zone…I promise, I hate it has to be this way.”
Other friends of Jones’ have confirmed that he died last week.
“He did feel like a duty to help people. He had a very sense of strong honor and his sense of duty to help,” Tyler Rose, a friend told us.
During his volunteer time in Ukraine, Jones served as a mercenary, where he joined a volunteer unit called Norman-Brigade (Brigade Normande), then moved on to another unit. In a separate social media post, the brigade acknowledged his death and honored his service to the Ukrainian people.
“We… we’re heartbroken when we received the news of one of brothers and former member, Joshua Jones. He was the kind of guy you want to have in your unit. His playful attitude got us through grey skies and there is no way we can forget him.”
“I had the Honor and pleasure to have Joshua, a young father, serving under my command from May until June 2022. Joshua Jones, a ‘Norman at heart,’ really embodied the core values a Norman displays on the battlefield: Ferocity, boundless energy, cunning, [and] a capacity for leadership,” their social media post read. “Above everything, Joshua was loved. Simple as that. He was the kind of guy you want to have in your unit. His playful attitude got us through gray skies and there is no way we can forget him.”
Jones was self-motivated in going. Before we went to Ukraine, he was training intensively in a local gym, and this is where he met his friend, Tyler Rose.
“He did feel like a duty to help people. He had a very sense of strong honor and his sense of duty to help,” Tyler Rose, a friend told WREG.
The details of his death are not available yet, but the State Department has already confirmed his identity. However, according to TASS, a Russian news outlet, the ombudsperson of the Donbas region Darya Morozova said Jones was killed by militia members of the Donetsk People’s Republic (Russian-backed separatist group). Morozova added that the militia agreed to return his body to the US.
“He was the kind of guy that held my head up for me when I didn’t really want to myself,” Rose said. “He really changed my life for the better the short time that I knew him he positively affected my life.”
Jones’ legacy leaves an imprint on the Ukrainians he was fighting for and for his friends and family. He served as an infantryman in the US Army and enlisted back in August 2016. According to the US Army spokesperson, he held the rank of a specialist at the end of his service in June 2019.
He served in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii and trained “over 25 soldiers in Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.”
The Army spokesperson also confirmed that even though he was not deployed, he earned six commendations throughout his brief service, including National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
“He was a very loyal guy and the people that were closest to him meant a lot to him,” Rose said.
We here at SOFREP honor the sacrifice, bravery, and courage you have shown everyone. Thank you, brother!
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