Major General Jones entered the Marine Corps through the Officer Candidate Progream following his graduation from Eastern Illinois University. Upon completion of the Basic School, he served briefly as a Platoon Commander at Camp Pendleton, California, and soon after as a Platoon Commander in the Republic of Viet Nam.
An infantry officer, he served in each of the three active Marine Divisions and commanded at all ranks from 2/Lt to Major General. He commanded two USMC Infantry Companies, in addition to commanding a company in 42 Commando of the British Royal Marines during an exchange tour. MGen Jones commanded an Infantry Battalion during Desert Shield and Desert Storm and commanded an Infantry Regiment, leading all Marines in Operations Uphold Democracy in Haiti.
MGen Jones served as a Tactics Instructor and later as Director of the Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia. He twice served on Recruiting Duty and held senior staff positions at Headquarters Marine Corps and the Pentagon. He attended numerous service schools and acquired his Masters Degree in International Relations from Salva Regina College. His final assignment in the Marine Corps was that of Commanding General of Training and Education Command in Quantico, Virginia.
MGen Jones founded Outdoor Odyssey, a non-profit Leadership Academy, in 1998, oriented on impacting youth through team building and mentoring. Although he elected to leave the Marine Corps upon initiation of Outdoor Odyssey, events surrounding 9/11 inspired him to stay until 2005, when he retired as a Major General.
He presently serves as an Adjunct Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), as well as an independent consultant, in addition to his voluntary role as President/Executive Director of Outdoor Odyssey. Jones serves on the Board of Directors for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund as well as for Global Relief Technologies. He and his wife, Nancy, have three grown children (Leslie, Brandon and Jessica), seven grandsons (Kyle, Aidan, Jake, Ryan, Zack, Micah and Sebastian) and one granddaughter, Gracie, who evens the score.