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GyG1345
01-21-03, 08:29 AM
A Marine's Toughest Mission
by Dick G (Login Dick Gaines)
Forum Owner

Parade Magazine

January 19, 2003

A Marine's Toughest Mission

Gen. James L. Jones will have the challenging task of helping NATO remake
itself for the 21st century.

By Lyric Wallwork Winik

On June 14, 2002, a father sent his son to sea. But was not just any father
and son. Gen. James L. Jones, 32ndCommandant of the U.S. Marine Carps,
ordered his 28-year-old son, 2nd Lt. Greg Jones, on a six-month deployment
to the Persian Gulf. There isn't a lot of clutter or gloss to how Jones, 59,
tells a story: "I never saw any of my children sail off into the sunset on a
military expedition before," he said in his Pentagon office on a bright,
cold morning last month. "I was always the one who left."

Jones recalled how he said goodbye at the pier and later caught sight of his
son's ship, the U.S.S. Denver, as it headed into the open ocean. For 20
minutes, he stood and watched it go. "A lot of emotions ran through my
mind," he said. "Back in 1975, I deployed as a company commander on the
Denver, and now my son was sailing off on the same ship." Then the general
smiled slyly. "It doesn't say much for the Navy's rejuvenation program of
our ships. I recall that the Denver wasn't a new ship in 1975."

Jim Jones is all there in that anecdote: the matter-of-factness, the
personal touch and the quick humor-deft but not barbed. He will need these
traits in his new assignment, perhaps the toughest of his career. A few days
ago, Jones left Washington, D.C., for Brussels, Belgium, to become Supreme
Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The general-the first Marine to lead NATO's forces-has the task of helping
one of the world's most successful military alliances remake itself for the
2lst century.

CONTINUED.... (http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=135069&messageid=1043158278)

yellowwing
01-21-03, 10:02 AM
I think I like this guy. I remember CMC Al Gray had the same tough directness. I heard him speak once. He was commenting on all the money spent on continuing education programs. He said, "We are going to be the smartest bunch of guys that got run off a hill!" He redirected that money to send every Marine to AIT.

GyG1345
01-21-03, 10:22 AM
Yeh, yer right, YellowWing--but it occurs to me that the really politically incorrect/No bs guys never made it this far to begin with!

Just A Thought

DickG