Antone Jaber, Jr.
Antone “Tony” Jaber, Jr was born on June 19, 1925 in Raleigh, North Carolina to immigrants from Beruit, Lebanon. Tony’s mother, Hannah, died when he was three years old. Tony was the youngest of the six Jaber siblings. Tony’s father, Antone Jaber, Sr. accepted when Our Lady of Nazareth Catholic Orphanage offered to help raise his youngest children. Tony was reared and schooled at the orphanage while still seeing his family members, graduating on May 26, 1943. He immediately registered for the draft.
On D-Day, Tony sailed out of Boston Harbor toward England. He would be assigned to the 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, with the task of freeing the hedgerows surrounding Normandy from the grasp of the Nazis. During his first days in combat, Tony experienced American warplanes dropping bombs in an accidental friendly fire incident upon American troops.
Tony was a 60 mm mortar man for Company E, 30th Infantry Division, at the top of Hill 314 outside of Mortain, France on the night of August 6, 1944 when the hill was surrounded by 12,000 Nazi troops. The 700 members of the Old Hickory Division on the hill were radioing back instructions on how to destroy the 2nd SS Panzer Division and the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division. Less than half of the men on hill 314 survived the battle.
Tony went on to help liberate much of Europe and fight in the Battle of the Bulge with Old Hickory, but he said the Battle of the Bulge was easy compared to Mortain.
After WWII, Tony worked at an automotive parts store before he heard rumors that war with Russia was likely. He joined the United States Air Force and was stationed across the world throughout his career, meeting the woman he would marry while stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base. He and Muriel Neal were married at the courthouse in Minden and he became the father of her two children, Sandra and Dale, adding their son Neal to round out their family of five.
In 2020, President Trump awarded the 30th Infantry Division the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism at the Battle of Mortain, France, in 1944. Tony traveled to France and hand-presented the citation to the people of Mortain in 2021.
Tony was a retired USAF veteran and a WWII Army veteran, proud to be a veteran of both branches of service. Tony was also a lifelong and faithful, dedicated Catholic.
Survivors include his daughter Sandra Phillips Wood, son Neal and wife Sherral Jaber; grandchildren Jeremy and wife Lydia Box, Jeffrey Box, Christopher Jaber, Terrance and Alden Hudson, Michael Phillips, Emily Phillips, Linzey Overholt; great grandchildren Taylor Barajas, Kayla Box, Eryc Box, Collin Box, Jackson Box, Sloane Gardner, Jessica Minamyer, Hayle Hudson, Kyle Hudson, Dakota Hudson, Lilith Relle, Sophia Relle, Zane Kimbrell, Kimber Jaber, Edward Jaber, Remington Jaber, Sapphire Jaber, Layne Ortiz, Arriez Jaber and Zoey Mitchell.
Tony was preceded in death by his father Antone Jaber, Sr, his mother Hannah S. Jaber, his five siblings Mary, Alice, Farris, George and Edward, his wife Muriel Marjrie Jaber, his son Dale Phillips and his grandson David Phillips.
Tony resided in Sarepta with his grandson Jeremy and Jeremy’s wife Lydia. He was much loved by those who knew him.
Funeral arrangements will be held at St. John’s Catholic Church in Many, Louisiana at 2:00 on Friday, July 1, 2022. The viewing will begin at 1:00.
