F Thomas Jones, a native of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, embarked on a transformative journey at the age of sixteen following the loss of his mother. He relocated to Allentown, PA, with his father, stepmother, and four siblings. Against this backdrop, he made the profound and life-altering decision to enlist in the United States Army in 1967, a decision that would shape his future and the course of his life.
After completing basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and graduating from A.I.T. at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he was assigned to the northeast corner of Sakon Nakon Province, Thailand. The camp is located west of the provincial capital of Sakon Nakon. After spending a year there, he was transferred to Fort Rucker, Alabama. However, three months later, he is back in the northeast corner of Thailand, this time assigned to the 16th Dump Truck Company stationed at the Royal Thai Airforce Base at Nakon Phanom, located along the bank of the Mekong River, before being reassigned to the 809th Engineer Battalion headquarters south of Sakin Nakon. In January 1971, he was reassigned to the 1/14 Infantry Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he completed the Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol Course before being assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, Vietnam.
Returned stateside in 1972, F Thomas Jones was assigned to the Combat Support Company, 2d Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. His next assignment was to 1st Bn, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas. During his second year, he was transferred to the Division Headquarters Company for a further assignment as an instructor on the Dragon anti-tank missile range. In October 1979, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, Baumholder, (West) Germany. In October 1981, he was transferred to B Troop, 9th Squadron, 24th Infantry Division Fort Stewart, GA, as a platoon sergeant. Completing Drill Sergeant School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In July 1983, he was assigned to the 16th Cavalry Squadron, 1st Training Brigade. In his final year of service, he served as the Squadrons’ Operations N.C.O. This role carried significant responsibility as he coordinated the four basic training troops and the H.H.Q. Troop.
Upon retiring on 1 September 1987, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and spent the following years as a Junior Reserve Officer Corps instructor at Booker T Washington High School. He worked various jobs for the next fourteen years, from manufacturing to warehousing and construction. In 1998, he moved to Spencer County in south-central Indiana, where he began working at a small riding stable. After a few months, he began working for the DeLovely Saddlebred Stable. For the next seven (7) years, he worked as an Equine Care Giver. Though he had never been raised around horses and only had a few months of experience, he quickly learned horses were like people. Each had a different personality and had good and bad days. If a caregiver had a horse that suddenly had a bad few days, the caregiver would swap the horse for one of his. He would work with the horse and get it to do what he wanted but on the horse’s terms. He became known as the barn’s horse whisper in less than a year.
Due to health issues in 2007, he was forced to give up the one job he enjoyed. He returned to using his imagination and completed his first novel, The Guardians—Escape Across Tirgonia. He submitted it to several publishing houses, and it was initially published. Since then, he has expanded his creativity as he continues writing science fiction and dabbling in other genres.
Today, Thomas Jones resides in Dubois County, Indiana, where he continues to lead a dynamic life. Since October 2017, he has been a substitute teacher for the Greater Jasper Consolidated School Corporation, primarily at the Middle and High School levels. His broad knowledge and diverse experiences make him a unique substitute teacher, often entrusted with teaching various subjects, including Science, English/Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and History.
He is a member of the local Fraternal Order of Eagles, Fraternal Order of Eagles Moose, the American Legion, and the Legion Riders. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.