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General 'James Logan Jones, Jr.', USMC, (born December 19, 1943) is the former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) (2003-2006) and the Commander of the United States European Command (COMUSEUCOM) (2003-2006). From July 1999 to January 2003, General Jones was the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps.
As SACEUR, Jones led the Allied Command Operations (ACO), comprising NATO’s military forces in Europe, from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Mons, Belgium, General Jones relinquished command as SACEUR on December 7, 2006, and was succeeded by U.S. Army General John Craddock. ^[1] Jones retired from the United States Marine Corps on February 1, 2007 after 40 years of service. ^[2]

Contents

Early life

Early career

Senior staff and command

Legacy as Commandant

Decorations

Foreign decorations

See also

Notes

References

External links

Early life

Jones was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Having spent his formative years in France, he returned to the United States to attend the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, from which he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. He played on the basketball team, while at Georgetown. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in January 1967.

Early career

Upon completion of The Basic School in October 1967, he was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam, where he served as a Platoon and Company Commander with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines. While overseas, he was promoted to First Lieutenant in June 1968.
Returning to the United States in December 1968, Jones was assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, where he served as a Company Commander until May 1970. He then received orders to Marine Barracks, Washington, DC, for duties as a Company Commander, serving in this assignment until July 1973. He was promoted to Captain in December 1970. From July 1973 until June 1974, he was a student at the Amphibious Warfare School, Quantico, Virginia.
In November 1974, he received orders to report to the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa, where he served as the Company Commander of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, until December 1975.
From January 1976 to August 1979, Jones served in the Officer Assignments Section at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, DC. During this assignment, he was promoted to Major in July 1977. Remaining in Washington, his next assignment was as the Marine Corps Liaison Officer to the United States Senate, where he served until July 1984. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 1982.

Senior staff and command

He was selected to attend the National War College in Washington, DC. Following graduation in June 1985, he was assigned to command the 3rd Battalion 9th Marines,1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California, from July 1985 to July 1987.
In August 1987, Jones returned to Headquarters Marine Corps, where he served as Senior Aide to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was promoted to Colonel in April 1988, and became the Military Secretary to the Commandant in February 1989. During August 1990, Jones was assigned as the Commanding Officer, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During his tour with the 24th MEU, he participated in Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq and Turkey. He was advanced to Brigadier General on April 23, 1992. General Jones was assigned to duties as Deputy Director, J-3, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, on July 15, 1992. During this tour of duty, he was reassigned as Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force "Provide Promise", for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia.
Returning to the United States, he was advanced to the rank of Major General in July 1994, and was assigned as Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. General Jones next served as Director, Expeditionary Warfare Division (N85), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, during 1996, then as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, DC. He was advanced to Lieutenant General on July 18, 1996.
His next assignment was as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. On April 21, 1999, he was nominated for appointment to the grade of General and assignment as the 32d Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was promoted to General on June 30, 1999, and assumed the post on July 1, 1999. General Jones assumed duties as the Commander of U.S. European Command on January 16, 2003 and Supreme Allied Commander Europe on January 17, 2003. He is the first Marine Corps general to serve as SACEUR/EUCOM commander.
The Marine Corps has only recently begun to take on a larger share of high-level assignments in the Department of Defense. General Jones was one of five serving Marine Corps four-star general officers who outranked the current Commandant of the Marine Corps (General James T. Conway) in terms of seniority and time-in-grade — the others being Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace; former Commandant Michael Hagee, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command James E. Cartwright, and Assistant Commandant Robert Magnus. ^[3]
General Jones is reported to have declined an opportunity to succeed General John P. Abizaid as Commander of U.S. Central Command, and is currently scheduled to step down on December 4, 2006 and retire from the U.S. Marine Corps shortly thereafter.
He also was asked twice by Condoleezza Rice to be Deputy Secretary of State after the resignation of Robert Zoelick. He declined.[[1]]

Legacy as Commandant

Among other innovations during his career as Marine Commandant, General Jones oversaw the Marine Corps's development of MARPAT camouflage uniforms, and the adoption of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. These replaced the woodland uniforms, and the LINE system, respectively.

Decorations

General Jones' personal decorations include: Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Silver Star, Legion of Merit with four gold stars, Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V", and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Foreign decorations

In January 2007, Jones was awarded Canada's Meritorious Service Cross by Governor General Michaëlle Jean.[2]
Decorations include but not limited to:

★ Estonian Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class 1 (Estonian: ''Kotkaristi I Klassi Teenetemärk'') [3]

★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross Regiment Citation with Bronze Star

★ Canadian Meritorious Service Cross (Military Division); Post-nominal: M.S.C.^[4]

★ Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, Grand Cross of Commander^[5]

★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm

★ Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation with Palm

★ NATO Meritorious Service Medal

★ Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 date bar

★ Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

See also

Notes

1. General JOHN CRADDOCK will be the new Commander
2. ''Public Directory of: U.S. Marine Corps General Officers & Senior Executives'' (6 December 2006), Senior Leader Management Branch (MMSL), Manpower & Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on December 6, 2006. MS Word document.
3.
4. http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4961
5. http://adamkus.president.lt/ordinai/table_e.phtml?sort=surname,7300,0

References

★ Official Biography for James L. Jones, ''General Officer Biographies'', United States Marine Corps. Accessed on 2006-07-11.

★ SACEUR General James L. Jones, ''SHAPE Biographies'', Allied Command Operations, NATO. Accessed on 2006-07-11.

★ The Defense Secretary We Had, Tough — and Unaccountable (Jones withdraws from consideration for CENTCOM)

External links

★ Mission of SACEUR