2008 Distinguished Sea Service Award Honoree
At its Centennial Congress in 1990 the Naval Order established a Distinguished Sea Service Award (DSSA) to each year honor a recently retired US Naval Officer who, over a total career so distinguished himself and the Naval Services that he should be singled out as one who stands "First Among Firsts" . This year's honoree is:
General James L. Jones, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
in recognition of
Professional Leadership and Support
to the
Sea Services of the United States of America
reflecting Singular Credit and Honor upon
himself and his Country and earning the
enduring Gratitude of his fellow Countrymen.
He stands
"PRIMUS INTER PRIMOS".
General Jones will be awarded the Naval Order's Distinguished Sea Service Award at the Annual Congress in New Orleans, Saturday, 15 November.
Biography
General James L. Jones graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and was commissioned into the Marine Corps in January 1967, served in Vietnam as a platoon and company commander and was promoted to First Lieutenant.
Upon returning to the U.S. he served as a company commander until July 1973 and attended the Amphibious Warfare School. From November 1974 he served as a company commander in Okinawa. From January 1976 he served at Headquarters Marine Corps and later as the Marine Corps liaison officer to the U.S. Senate.
In June 1985 he graduated from the National War College, and commanded the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 1st Marine Division, until July 1987 and then as Senior Aide to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, was promoted to Colonel and became the Military Secretary to the Commandant. Later, assigned as the Commanding Officer, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, he served in Northern Iraq and Turkey on Operation Provide Comfort.
Brigadier General Jones was assigned as Deputy Director, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany in July 1992, and later reassigned as Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force Provide Promise, for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. He retuned to the U.S. as a Major General in July 1994, and was assigned as Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic. General Jones next served as Director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, then as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations at Headquarters Marine Corps.
As Lieutenant General, he was assigned as the Military Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and as General became the 32nd Commandant of the United States Marine Corps in July 1999. In January 2003, General Jones became Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). positions he held until December 2006. During this final assignment, he encouraged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to regard global energy as a security issue and advocated that the alliance consider the defense of critical infrastructures as a 21st century collective security mission. Jones retired from active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps February 1, 2007, after more than 40 years of service.
General Jones has a Batchelor of Science degree, and an Honorary Doctorate from Georgetown University. His personal decorations include: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Silver Star Medal, Legion of Merit with four gold stars, Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V", and the Combat Action Ribbon.
General is president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber Institute for 21st Century Energy. He is responsible for executing the Institute’s strategic mission of uniting energy stakeholders behind a common strategy to ensure that America’s energy supply is adequate, affordable, and secure while protecting the environment.
Jones serves as chairman of three boards of directors. He also serves on several boards representing both the business and national security sectors of the United States. At the request of the U.S. Congress, Jones recently chaired the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq.
He is married to the former Diane Johnson of Bethesda, Maryland. They reside in McLean, Virginia, and have four children and seven grandchildren.
The Naval Order homepage is maintained under the direction of
CAPT James F. Brooke, III, USN (Ret.), Past Commander General