James L. Jones : biography
| First row | Defense Distinguished Service Medal w/ 2 oak leaf clusters | Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge | Supreme Commander Allied Powers, Europe Identification Badge | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second row | Silver Star | Legion of Merit w/ 4 award stars | Bronze Star w/ valor device | Combat Action Ribbon | ||
| Third row | Navy Presidential Unit Citation | Joint Meritorious Unit Award w/ 2 oak leaf clusters | Navy Unit Commendation | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 4 service stars | ||
| Fourth row | National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal | National Defense Service Medal w/ 2 service stars | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Vietnam Service Medal w/ 4 service stars | ||
| Fifth row | Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ 1 service star | Armed Forces Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/ 7 service stars | ||
| Sixth row | Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon w/ 1 service star | NATO Meritorious Service Medal | NATO Medal for Yugoslavia | Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ bronze star | ||
| Seventh row | Legion of Honor, Commander | National Order of Merit, Officier | Meritorious Service Cross, post-nominal: M.S.C. | Military Order of Italy, Commander | ||
| Eighth row | Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 1st Class | Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, Commander’s Grand Cross | Military Order of Aviz, Grand Cross | Grand Merit Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany | ||
| Ninth row | Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit citation | Vietnam Civil Actions unit citation | Vietnam Campaign Medal | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) |
Personal life and style
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen, who hired Jones as his military assistant, is quoted as saying Jones has a placid demeanor and a "methodical approach to problems — he’s able to view issues at both the strategic and tactical level". While Commandant of the Marine Corps, Jones often signed emails as "Rifleman", as he served as an infantry officer.
Jones was also responsible for convincing country music artist Toby Keith that he should record and publish his popular concert hit Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American).
Post-military career
Business roles
Following his retirement from the military, Jones became president of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce; he also served as chair of the board of directors of the Atlantic Council of the United States from June 2007 until January 2009, when he assumed the post of National Security Advisor.
Jones also served as a member of the guiding coalition for the Project on National Security Reform, as well as chairman of the Independent Commission on the Iraqi Security Forces. He was a member of the Board of directors of The Boeing Company from June 21, 2007 to December 15, 2008, serving on the company's Audit and Finance Committees. Jones was also a member of the Board of directors of , a privately held biometric solutions company, from October 2007 to January 2009.
Jones was employed on the Board of Trustees of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan think-tank, from 2007 to 2008, and then began serving again in 2011. He was a member of the Board of directors of Chevron Corporation from May 28, 2008 to December 5, 2008, serving on the Board Nominating and Governance and Public Policy Committees.
According to the first report since Jones re-entered government service in January 2009, Jones earned a salary and bonus of $900,000 from the US Chamber, as well as director fees of $330,000 from the Boeing Company and $290,000 from the Chevron Corporation. by John D. McKinnon and F. W. Farnum, wsj.online, April 4, 2009. Retrieved 4/5/09.
