The building will be known as ‘‘The William A. Jones III Building” and is prominently located at the corner of Alabama Avenue and North Perimeter Road.

According to the Air Force Biography Web site, Colonel Jones distinguished himself on Sept. 1, 1968, as the pilot of an A-1H ‘‘Skyraider” aircraft near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam, when he was critically injured while risking his life in an attempted rescue mission of a downed F-4 ‘‘Phantom” pilot. At the time of the mission, he was an Air Commando assigned to the 602nd Special Operations Squadron.

The Medal of Honor was awarded to Colonel Jones for his selfless heroism, but he died in an aircraft accident Nov. 15, 1969, in the United States before the Medal could be presented to him.

Construction of the five-story structure bearing the colonel’s name began in June 2009. It has two wings, more than 380,000 square feet of space and 1,202 parking spaces. The building will meet antiterrorism⁄force protection, security, SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) and court room requirements, and be 30 percent energy efficient to meet guidelines set forth in the 2005 Energy Policy Act. Total estimated construction cost for the new facility is $114.3 million.

Planned tenants include the AFDW and 316th Wing staffs, as well as more than 2,000 Air Force personnel displaced as a result of BRAC 2005 and antiterrorism⁄force protection standards.

The building project is expected to be completed in March 2011. A formal dedication ceremony will take place at that time.

– Courtesy of Air Force District of Washington public affairs