Jones Memoir Now Published The Day I Lost President Ford, published by Dram Tree Books, available for purchase. Click below for details on autographed copies and more. READ NEWS RELEASE Purchase The Memoir Today! The Day I Lost President Ford: Memoir of a Born-and-Bred Carolina Tar Heel Now Available! PURCHASE NOW

Wilbur Jones receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award

In a ceremony at Wilmington’s City Hall, Mayor Bill Saffo, on behalf of Governor Roy Cooper,  presented the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine award to retired Navy Captain Wilbur D. Jones, Jr.

The Long Leaf Pine award is the North Carolina governor’s highest honor recognizing public service. The award is given to persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.

UNCW Recognizes Jones as Distinguished Citizen of the Year

Four individuals will receive the highest honor the University of North Carolina Wilmington bestows upon its graduates and supporters during Homecoming 2021. The UNCW Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize extraordinary achievement, outstanding character and exemplary service to the university and community.

UNCW named author and military historian Wilbur D. Jones, Jr., as the Distinguished Citizen of the Year for 2021. Jones, a retired Navy captain, Wilmington native and University of North Carolina graduate, was selected for his support of UNCW and community service.

They will be recognized during the university’s virtual Homecoming celebration Feb. 8-14. New this year is the Distinguished Diversity Award, which honors an individual who has made exceptional contributions in the areas of diversity, equity, access, inclusion and social justice.

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The Alumni Organization of Wilmington’s New Hanover High School named Wilbur Jones as one of the school’s 30 Outstanding Alumni

Jones graduated from New Hanover in 1951. The school, which opened in 1922, celebrated its Centennial year with activities in 2022.

New Hanover County Salutes World War II Heritage City designation with Captain Jones Presentation

On September 2, 2020, the City of Wilmington in New Hanover County was named the first American WWII Heritage City in the country. Hear from Wilbur Jones about the process to receive this designation, the importance of preservation, and what it means for our region. WATCH VIDEO

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Books

A Sentimental Journey
A Sentimental Journey: Memoirs of a Wartime Boomtown

A Sentimental Journey is a social history of the life and culture on the Wilmington and Southeastern North Carolina home front. The personal story of a burgeoning community, it is the first book covering a specific geographic area this extensively.

The Journey Continues
The Journey Continues: The World War II Home Front

The Journey Continues: The World War II Home Front is the natural sequel to the authorâ€s first volume on this subject, the highly acclaimed, nationally distributed book, A Sentimental Journey: Memoirs of a Wartime Boomtown, winner of the North Carolina Society of Historians 2003 Willie Parker Peace Book Award.

HitlersSoldiers
Forget That You Have Been Hitler Soldiers: A Youth’s Service to the Reich

Hermann O. Pfrengle’s remarkable, breathtaking memoir describes the unorthodox life and travails of an adolescent German boy on the war-scarred home front. As a member of the Jungvolk organization loosely associated with the Hitler Youth, he helped construct the Siegfried Line, worked in the war effort and civilian defense, and attended high school until it was bombed.

Football! Navy! War!
“Football! Navy! War!”: How Military Lend-Lease Players Saved the College Game and Helped Win World War II

Not coincidentally, football employs military terms associated with war, such as “aerial attack,” “blitz,” “field general,” and “trench warfare.” Beyond providing essential jargon, by necessity and choice the military linked with colleges during World War II to preserve the game and keep schools from closing, and utilized footballâ€s rugged physical, mental, and competitive conditioning to prepare men for combat, boost morale, and help win the war.

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91.3 HQR Interview on WWII Wilmington

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Jones Featured in SI

Pearl Harbor Ties to Wilmington