Gator Athletics supply manager provides force protection in Afghanistan

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Darick V. Jones of Clarksdale, Miss., is currently deployed here with the Mississippi National Guard 1-114th Field Artillery. Jones is shown here manning his gun atop a vehicle in a motorized patrol of U.S. run safe houses in downtown Kabul.  

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

03.27.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

by Sgt. 1st Class David McCrary

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Army Specialist Darick V. Jones of Clarksdale, Miss., is currently deployed here with the Mississippi National Guard 1-114th Field Artillery.

Jones, a native of Clarksdale where his mother, Brenda, and grandmother, Ivory, still reside, is employed by Gator Athletics.

He has been employed by Gator Athletics for six years and is working on completing his fifth year with the National Guard.

In both his civilian job at Gator Athletics and his military job with the 1-114th while at home station, Jones works as an inventory/supply manager. However, Spec. Jones is working as a gunner on force protection detail while serving in Afghanistan, guarding personnel and installations in the Kabul area.

Jones is deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), a mission managed by the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM).

Located at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa FL, USCENTCOM is the unified command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa (HOA) through the Arabian Gulf region, into central Asia. USCENTCOM is one of nine unified commands in the Department of Defense (DOD).

CENTCOM is also responsible for executing the Global War on Terror in its assigned area of responsibility (AOR) which includes Iraq, Afghanistan, and HOA.

Jones" responsibilities in support of OEF fall into the overall definition of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan who conduct full spectrum operations throughout the combined joint operations area to defeat Al Qaeda and associated movements, establish an enduring Afghan security structure and reshape its posture for the Long War in order to set the conditions for long-term stability in Afghanistan.

Although Jones takes great pride in the service to his country during the Global War on Terrorism, he is looking forward to coming home and returning to his job and co-workers at Gator Athletics.

Jones is grateful for an employer who values his commitment to serving his country. According to Jones, his employer gave him a going away party, has stayed in touch with him while he is deployed and has suggested making souvenir shirts for the unit when they return.

Jones feels that the support his employer provides makes the stress of military deployment a lot easier to manage.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly known as USERRA, allows Jones and other mobilized military members to retain their rights to return to their civilian jobs following a deployment. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972.

The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees.

As the 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens, ESGR will continue to be the information agency for the employers of America's new minutemen. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at [phone].

• Date Taken: 03.27.2006
• Date Posted: 03.27.2006 16:18
• Story ID: 5882
• Location: KABUL, AF