Keeping up with the Joneses: Sergeant Major, Son reunite in Iraq

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Richard Jones III (left) greets his father, Sgt. Maj. Richard Jones Jr., on the flight line at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah. The senior Jones, a sergeant major in the operations section of the 1st Cavalry Division, got to spend the day with his son June 22, an equipment mechanic with Company B, 2nd Brigade Support Battalion. The Joneses are from Killeen, Texas.  

RUSTAMIYAH, IRAQ

06.29.2007

Courtesy Story

2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

By Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq – An Army father-son team recently got together June 22 for the third time in eight months and they were both ready for the visit and a little family competition.

"We both like to go to the gym," said Spc. Richard Jones III of Copperas Cove, Texas. "We train and compare to see where we're at. He said he's been trying to catch up, so we'll see tonight."

"I've been working on it, but I think he's still got me," said Sgt. Maj. Richard Jones Jr., also of Copperas Cove. "He outweighs me by 15 to 20 pounds. I think I'm getting there, though. I'll give him a run for his money."

The senior Jones, based at Camp Liberty, serves as the sergeant major for the Multi-National Division – Baghdad and the 1st Cavalry Division's operations section. His son works at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah as an equipment mechanic for Company B, 2nd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

Besides sharing a passion for hitting the gym, the two discuss Army issues with each other on a regular basis, usually by telephone. But this day, they got some rare time together, and they aimed to make the most of it.

Getting to talk in person was important. The older Jones has been a mentor for his son since the beginning of his Army career.

"We talk about what's going on here and back home," the younger Jones said. "We talk about the Army. When I first came in, I had to adapt a lot, and he guided me...in the right direction."

"When he decided to be a mechanic, I told him, 'I hope you're prepared to work for a living,'" the senior Jones recalled. "But it's been good. I get choked up talking about it, how proud I am of him."
Having a sergeant major father has its drawbacks, however.

"It's a lot of pressure on me, especially when the chain of command knows," Spc. Jones said.
Still, joining the Army was natural act for him.

"Ever since he was four years old he's been playing Army," his father said. "He had a friend whose father was also in the Army, and they'd play Army in the woods all day long. I knew he was going to do that."

The younger Jones concurred. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. I was just shadowing my brother and my father," he said.

His brother, Staff Sgt. Hilario Jones, serves as a communications specialist in Germany. He recently returned from a tour in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. The senior Jones and both sons, have been on two combat tours each.

"That's all I grew up seeing, was the military, so that made it easier for me," Spc. Jones said. "I had my mind made up by the time I went to high school."

The senior Jones has been in the Army for 27 years, while his son has been in just shy of five years but is about to be a non-commissioned officer.

"I'm praying to God, I can pin sergeant rank on him," Sgt. Maj. Jones said. "That would be one of the proudest moments of my life."

The Army has strengthened their relationship, both say.

"We've always been close, but the Army has brought us even closer, especially being here in Iraq," Sgt. Maj. Jones said. "I'm just happy that he calls and asks for advice. As teenagers, they know it all and don't always do that. He's really became a man since he joined the Army and has fine-tuned his good qualities. He's ten times more responsible."

That responsibility includes taking his job seriously. Spc. Jones likes being a mechanic because "after I fix a piece of equipment, I see what I did for somebody. Everybody needs power and everybody appreciates it."

For Sgt. Maj. Jones, having his son so close is nice, but it has at least one drawback. As the division's operations sergeant major, he knows instantly when indirect fire attacks hit Rustamiyah.
"It's hard in that regard," he said.

But it's nothing compared to what his wife goes through. Since the war began, at least one member of the family has been deployed.

"My wife is probably the strongest human being I've ever met," Jones said.

"My mom is the real hero," his son added.

And it's all part of being a military family.

"It's an honor that both sons and myself have been in the Army," Sgt. Maj. Jones said. "I'm very proud of our family tradition of serving our country."

• Date Taken: 06.29.2007
• Date Posted: 06.29.2007 08:26
• Story ID: 11028
• Location: RUSTAMIYAH, IQ