Jones, Eric Alton

Capt. Eric Alton Jones was a 29-year-old Marine Corps officer from Westchester, New York. He served with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 (HMLA-169), part of Marine Aircraft Group 39, based at Camp Pendleton, California. The unit, known as the 'Vipers,' operated AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters.

According to the Department of Defense, Jones died on October 26, 2009, from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations at Forward Operating Base Dwyer in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The base was a key logistics and aviation hub for coalition forces in southern Afghanistan. No further details of the specific incident were publicly released.

Jones's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2009, the conflict was in a period of intense fighting, with a significant increase in U.S. troop levels and a focus on counterinsurgency operations in Taliban strongholds like Helmand Province.

His death was recorded in the Defense Casualty Analysis System. He was posthumously promoted from the rank of captain to major, a common practice for officers killed in action. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Marine Corps Museum.

Major Eric A. Jones is remembered on memorial walls and by his squadron. HMLA-169 continues to maintain a historical record of its fallen personnel from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Maj. Eric A. Jones was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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