WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM
On the 30th of May 2011, Lance Corporal Andrew Gordon Jones was killed during operations in Afghanistan.
Twenty-five-year-old Lance Corporal Jones was from the 9th Force Support Battalion in Amberley. Lance Corporal Jones was serving with the Force Support Unit, FST-TK.
He joined the Army in 2004. After recruit training, he completed his initial employment training as a cook and was posted to the Catering Platoon of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. He was posted to the 9th Force Support Battalion in 2008.
Lance Corporal Jones’ first operational deployment was to East Timor in 2008. His second, to Afghanistan, commenced in November 2010.
On the 30th May 2011 Lance Corporal Jones and two Afghan soldiers from ANA 4th Brigade were on guard duty togetherat operating base Patrol Base Marshal in the Baluchi-Chora Valley, in Oruzgan Province, in southern Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal Jones, who was a cook from the Force Support Unit, was acting as a mentor to his killer, who had only recently arrived at the base.
At one point during the guard detail, the second Afghan soldier left to deal with some personal matters. While gone, Lance Corporal Jones and the remaining ANA soldier got into an argument.
The ANA soldier shot Lance Corporal Jones at least three times. It is understood the Digger was not able to shoot back.
The third soldier heard the commotion and returned to the tower to find the Australian fatally wounded. Afghan soldiers fired on the perpetrator as he fled the scene. A manhunt was immediately launched.
Lance Corporal Jones was flown by medivac chopper to the hospital at Tarin Kowt where Australian and US surgeons worked frantically to try and save him, but he died on the operating table.
Lance Corporal Jones leaves behind his loving parents, two younger siblings and girlfriend.
He was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1986.
Lance Corporal Jones was a loyal, reliable, and trustworthy soldier who was dedicated to serving his country. He was a team player who loved his job. He had a quiet personality but enjoyed a joke with his mates.
He was a skilled cook who was the first to volunteer to go on the road or on exercise. In 2010, he was promoted to Lance Corporal upon completing his Junior Leader Course. He displayed definite leadership potential.
His interests included chess, reading, computers, drawing and soccer.
Lance Corporal Jones was awarded the Australian Service Medal with clasp Timor–Leste, and Australian Defence Medal, the Australian Active Service Medal with ICAT Clasp, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the NATO ISAF Medal.
During Lance Corporal Jones’s service in the Australian Army, he deployed on the following Operations:
OPERATION ASTUTE (East Timor) – Jul 2008 – Oct 2008.
OPERATION SLIPPER (Afghanistan) – Nov 2010 – May 2011.
He will remain one of us and always be remembered….
