The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sergeant Raymond E. Jones, Jr., 31, of Gainesville, Florida, died April 9, 2004, in Bayji, Iraq when a rocket-propelled grenade struck him while on patrol.  Staff Sergeant Jones was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 692-2000

Father remembers Gainesville soldier killed in Iraq

GAINESVILLE, Florida - A U.S. Army soldier from Gainesville killed in Iraq believed in the military and "tried to do everything right," his father said Monday.

Army Sergeant First Class Raymond Edison Jones Jr., 31, was killed near Bayji, Iraq, on April 9, 2004, in a rocket-propelled grenade attack. He had been assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, in Schweinfurt, Germany.

"He was making a career out of it," said Raymond Edison Jones Sr., who lives in Miami. He said his son will be buried with full military honors next Monday at Arlington National Cemetery.

Born in Carson City, Nevada, Jones joined the Army in 1991 while a student at the University of Florida, his father said.

The soldier's father said he is against the U.S. policy in Iraq.

"I wish they'd pull the rest of the kids out of there," he said.

Jones' mother, Olga, lives in Costa Rica with two of his three brothers. Another brother lives in Orlando. Jones' wife lives in Germany and he has one daughter from a previous marriage, the father said.

Jones is survived by three younger brothers: Michael E. Jones, an insurance investigator in Orlando; and Kurt Douglas Jones and Erick Roger Jones, who both live with their remarried mother, Olga Marta Chávez Smith, in Costa Rica.

The Jones family spent much of Jones Jr.'s youth in Bradenton and Tampa. They moved to Levy County in 1989. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in June 1990 and attended the University of Florida for two semesters.

His widow, Katja, was born in Germany. He had a daughter from a previous marriage.

He entered the Army in November 1991 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Division, 1st Infantry Division, which is based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

He will be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery.