FARMINGTON — Kenneth Jones Sr., 91, of Temple, a World War II soldier who was shot and held prisoner by the Germans in Italy, was presented with a hand-carved, eagle-head cane at the recent meeting of the James A. McKechnie VFW Post 10881.

Norma Wing, past president of the Maine Wood Carvers Association, gave Jones the cane she carved, along with a certificate listing her name and the names of the woodturners who helped create the personalized piece.

Jones, who already received numerous medals and ribbons, was lauded for his service to the country.

“We’re here today to honor a great American,” Post Commander Gordon Webber said. “He truly is one of my heroes.”

Jones joined the Army at the age of 19, completed basic training at Camp McClellan in Anniston, Ala., and was soon headed to North Africa, where he volunteered for The Rangers, an elite group of fighters. He was assigned to Company C of the 4th Battalion, issued a Browning automatic rifle and was known as a sharpshooter.

On June 30, 1943, he boarded a ship for the invasion of the island of Sicily that involved an Allied armada of 2,590 vessels. He was among the first wave to land.  He also took part in Operation Avalanche, the invasion of the mainland later that year. He also saw fighting in the Anzio-Cisterna region of Italy. Most of the Rangers were annihilated at Cisterna. Jones should have been granted leave, but instead was transferred to the First Special Service Force.

On May 22, 1944, he and others broke out of Anzio and pushed toward Rome. The following day, he was one of the first to cross the Mussolini Canal when the bridge behind him blew. Isolated on the other side, Jones was soon hit by shrapnel and shot with an 8mm rifle.

“All those who weren’t hit were captured,” he said.

His wounds resulted in six compound fractures of his ribs on one side and four broken ribs on the other. He also lost a lung.

He was taken to a German hospital and spent three days as a POW. When the Americans arrived, the Germans were in such a hurry to leave, they left him behind, he said.

He thought they might shoot him, but they didn’t, he said.

Instead of going home after his recovery, he was reassigned.

He finally came home Dec. 1, 1944.

As a member of Darby’s Rangers 4th Division, Jones was awarded the Victory in Europe Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantry, European Theatre and Campaign Ribbons, a Purple Heart and the Oak Leaf Cluster.

The Rangers also received a commendation from Gen. George Patton for spearheading the 7th Division at Gela, Sicily. The 4th Rangers received a citation from Lt. Gen. Mark Clark for assisting the 5th Army at Venafro, Italy.

As a member of the First Special Service Force, Jones received the Silver Maple Leaf from Canada, Canadian Parachute Wings and the Congressional Gold Medal this year. He also received a second Purple Heart.

In 2008, Jones was presented with the Maine State Silver Star.

He is the father of four four sons, four grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Family members who attended the presentation included Thomas Cormier, Anna Plourde, Vivian Cormier, Oliver Cormier, Lonny Jones, Irene Given, Kenneth Jones Jr., Starr Jones, Shery Jones, Douglas Jones, Melissa Plourde, Adria Plourde, Bethany Cormier and Kelly Jones.

The presentation of the special cane is part of the Eagle Cane Project that started in 2004 when Jack Nitz of the Eastern Oklahoma Woodcarvers Association wanted to show his support and respect for young soldiers wounded after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He decided to create symbolic “presentation” canes featuring a bald eagle to give to them. Other carvers got involved and the project spread to wood-carving and woodturning clubs in more than 30 states.

In 2008, Marcia Berkall, a member of the Maine Wood Carvers Association, agreed to be the project coordinator in Maine and wanted wounded veterans from any conflict to be honored. She brought her idea to the Maine Woodturners, who became collaborators in the project.

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