By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga News Staff Writer
Top Photo: From left are Maureen Frost, Shannon Jones and Danya (D.J.) Jones.
Even in the midst of a year like no other, the Veterans of Foreign War Post 1349 in Prattville found a way to adapt and overcome to take home the 2021 National Outstanding Community Service Award. The Post will receive the award at the VFW convention on June 5th at the Embassy Suites in Montgomery.
This is the fourth time that Post 1349 will receive the award and is the first time since 2013.
But Post 1349 didn’t win the award off of name recognition and past accomplishments, they did it through hard work and sheer determination.
Between both VFW Post 1349 and its auxiliary, there are about 400 total members spread across the tri-county area – namely in Elmore and Autauga Counties. Those members “worked their tail off” the past year, says Post 1349 Commander, Danya (DJ) Jones. Without their hard-work and sacrifice, they wouldn’t have been able to achieve this type of recognition, he says.
Jones, who has served as Post 1349 Commander since 2019, has helped lead a multitude of campaigns, which have fostered community support in both Elmore and Autauga County. With the help of his wife, Shannon, and other members of VFW Post 1349, Jones has brought happiness to not only Prattville and surrounding communities over the past year, but all over the world.
In November of 2020, Post 1349 worked to create Christmas stockings for service members deployed in various areas overseas – all of which were considered to be in “imminent danger zones.” The post partnered with the 26 Network Operation Squadron out of Gunter Air Force Base and Boy Scout Troop 617.
The post, with the help of the unit and scouts, would ultimately ship over 400 stockings in December of 2020.
“We stuff the stockings with anything that they can put in their pockets, whether they are on patrol or somewhere else. There’s people there that might not be getting a whole lot of things from home, so we want to provide them with something during Christmas to let them know that we’re thinking about them,” Jones said.
Jones has 32 years of military service from 1982-2014, participating in Desert Storm, the Liberation of Kuwait, Iraq Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as a bridge inspector for the Army Engineering Brigade. He knows what it’s like to be in the midst of imminent danger. That helped to fuel his passion for the Christmas stocking project, which brought joy to hundreds of people in dangerous areas.
Locally, Post 1349 does much for the surrounding communities, including fire and home safety training, flag retirement ceremonies, food basket giveaways, and award presentations to first responders and teachers.
Over the past year, members delivered homemade masks and blankets to local hospitals and also brought doughnuts to police and fire departments as an act of gratitude.
They are also sponsoring two boys, part of Boy Scout Troop 617, for their National Jamboree. The post will pay for their trip expenses.
Annually, the post asks teachers from various schools in the area if they have students who would like to participate in their “Voice of Democracy” essay competition. The winner of the competition can win cash prizes before moving up to the district, state and even national competition where they can earn thousands of dollars in scholarship money.
“We feel like it’s our responsibility to take care of our veterans, to take care of their families, children and elderly. Almost every project that we do is geared toward that,” Shannon Jones said.
Shannon, an active member of post 1349’s auxiliary location, said that the past year has brought some speedbumps for the VFW, but nothing so harsh as to derail them.
“It was a different type of year with covid restrictions, but at the end of the day, people want to help other people. If you let them know what you’re doing, they’ll try to find a way to participate. When we did things, we did it in smaller groups and with people that we were always in contact with. It’s more like a family,” Jones said.
VFW Post 1349 has served the area since 1994, helping thousands of families, promoting patriotism and honoring military service.
Jones will soon retire his position as Post 1349 Commander, and at the June 5th VFW Convention, will be introduced as the new District 5 Commander, serving much of south-central Alabama.
