Eagle Mountain soldier's wife praised, rewarded for heroism

Eagle Mountain soldier's wife praised, rewarded for heroism
By Donald W. Meyers

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 06/10/2009 04:28:34 PM MDT

Eagle Mountain » Just winning the city's "Tribute to a Hero" award left Kindra Jones thunderstruck.

"I couldn't sleep last night," Jones said about her recent night at a Park City resort, part the award from the city. "I was overwhelmed at being chosen for this honor."

But getting three days at a resort was just the beginning of the surprises for Jones, who was recognized for her efforts to help the city's military families.

She came home June 3, with her four children in a limo escorted by a city fire truck -- running with red lights and sirens -- with Mayor Heather Jackson riding shotgun. They tooled down flag-lined streets to find more than 100 people, including Utah National Guard Adjutant Maj. Gen. Brian Tarbet, standing in her front yard. There was a newly installed flagpole and a granite paver engraved with her name as a Eagle Mountain hero award recipient.

But there was a still-bigger surprise behind the backyard fence.

Volunteers spent two days installing a wood deck and pergola, a playhouse for her children and landscaping. Inside, people converted an upstairs bedroom into a nursery for the baby she's expecting July 31.

"I feel like I am going to have to work much harder to prove that I am worthy," Jones said after seeing everything that was done for her and her husband, Mike, who will be deployed later this year to Afghanistan. Mike Jones, a National Guard staff sergeant, was in North Dakota for training June 3, and didn't attend the ceremony.

Jackson said Jones also organized a support group for soldiers who were coping with post-traumatic-stress disorder.

The group, Soldier's Promise, provides a place for soldiers to talk about their stress issues in an anonymous setting, without fear of any professional repercussions, said Jones. It's a subject about which she has intimate knowledge.

"I know so many soldiers who deal with PTSD," Jones said. She takes early-morning calls from many of them.
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