Obama’s National Security Man Appreciates Small-Town Pleasures

CHIP JONES TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
Published: January 11, 2009

-- When Gen. James L. Jones Jr. parked in front of Westbury Pharmacy in early 2007, none of the regular customers could have known they were witnessing the arrival of the next national security adviser to the president of the United States.

This wasn't a job anywhere on Jim's personal horizon then as he stepped out of his used Jaguar, wearing a dark blue sports coat and looking dapper as usual as he strolled into the neighborhood drugstore in western Henrico County.

Jim had just retired as the commander of NATO forces in Europe and Africa, thereby ending more than 40 years of continuing service in the Marine Corps -- a career that began as a rifle platoon commander in the scorched earth of Vietnam, endured the doldrums of the 1970s, led to a relief mission for Kurds in northern Iraq in 1991, and seemed to reach a climax when President Clinton selected Gen. Jones to lead the Marines as their 32nd commandant in 1999.

My first cousin's career always seemed to have upward ascent, one that I chronicle in my group biography of his Marine Corps Basic School class, Boys of '67: From Vietnam to Iraq, the Extraordinary Story of a Few Good Men. As I tried to summarize Jim's life, and that of other successful Marines who started serving together in 1967, I noted in the epilogue, "They're still blazing new trails, with an uncanny knack for being close to the unfolding drama of history."

Clearly, I'm no oracle, but my conclusion proved to be on target. That day nearly two years ago at Westbury turned out to be a brief hiatus in his national service. After leaving NATO, he'd taken a job with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce heading up a new energy initiative. He seemed content to have a day job that didn't stretch long into the night, and which allowed him to spend more time with his wife and kids and a growing brood of grandchildren.

That seemed to be my commanding cousin's happy fate until this fall when his name started cropping up as a candidate for the new Cabinet of President-elect Barack Obama. Then, much to my family's amazement, we read the news: Gen. Jim Jones had agreed to serve as the new president's national security adviser.

News reports noted his vast experience on the international scene, starting with his work as NATO supreme allied commander and, more recently, as a special envoy for Middle East security. Gen. Jones also testified before Congress in 2007 in his role as chairman of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq.

Since then, many people have asked me what I thought of the news. First, I thought what a huge job he was undertaking -- starting with helping Obama formulate a response to the latest clash between Israel and Hamas -- just as he was starting to enjoy the long-delayed fruits of civilian life.

Second, I couldn't help but be proud that in his introductory remarks, President-elect Obama noted that his pick for national security adviser continued a long arc of service that began when Jim's uncle Bill -- my father, William K. Jones -- joined the Marines in 1939 and went on to fight some of the toughest battles against Japan in World War II. Jim's father, James Logan Jones, also a Marine, led an adventurous group of reconnaissance specialists who deployed from submarines to slice through minefields and prepare beachheads for invading Marines.

Third, I am always quick to tell people that Jim -- showing his true wisdom -- never calls me for advice. So I have made it a point not to bother him -- knowing that his e-mail in-box, like his life, is very full.

So I reflect back to the last time I saw him at Westbury Pharmacy, keeping his promise to meet my daughter, Mary, for breakfast and then go across the street to speak to her class at the Center for Leadership Studies at Douglas Freeman High School.

As we ordered a breakfast of bacon and eggs, I was little worried about what my sophisticated relative would think of Westbury's simple menu. After all, he had just returned from NATO headquarters in Belgium and was accustomed to fine cuisine.

But as Jim dug into breakfast at Westbury, I recalled something he'd said back when he was commandant and we were at a pancake house near Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C.

Looking around that roadside restaurant, Jim said, perhaps a bit whimsically, "Someday when I retire I'd like to own a place like this -- you know, someplace that families can come and eat together, and Marine retirees can sit and talk."

Diane Jones -- Jim's lovely wife who has the patience of Job -- rolled her eyes. "As if you'll ever retire, Jim," she said.

Diane knew from experience how often her husband had been called upon to serve, and how often he had said "yes." Still, his dream of a simpler life seemed like a nice fantasy at the time -- especially for a guy known for his sophisticated youth growing up in Paris and his subsequent climb up the ranks of power and influence in the Marine Corps and inside Washington.

Against that Capitol Hill backdrop, the idea of flipping flapjacks in North Carolina seemed a little far-fetched, but also seemed to express a side of Jim that wasn't visible to cameramen and news reporters. It's the side of him that truly treasures America, including its simple, small-town pleasures.

After we left Westbury, Jim drove to nearby Freeman High to meet about 100 students, teachers, and administrators at Mark Dozier's leadership class. It was a promise he'd made to my daughter, Mary, to speak to her classmates. He declined, however, an invitation to speak to a larger audience that night at the school. "I just came here to speak to Mary's class, and that's all," he said. "Let's keep it low-key."

I didn't take notes, but remember some of what he said and the strong impression he made on students and teachers alike. First, he talked about the idea of serving one's country. "You don't have to join the military to serve," Jim said, adding, "though I hope some of you will. The Marine Corps could use good leaders like you young men and women." But, he said, "you can serve your country in other ways -- as teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers."

His comment brought to mind his daughter, Jennifer, and all the special education services she'd required over the years. Jennifer, he said, despite her developmental disabilities, has lived life to her fullest ability, and you should too.

This brought to mind a poignant moment at Jim's change-of-command ceremony at Marine Barracks in Washington, when he told several thousand troops, members of Congress, and other guests that he had learned more about life and character from Jennifer than from even the greatest war heroes on hand that day in 1999.

Later, Jim told me for my book: "Jennifer taught me compassion."

At Freeman, Jim talked bluntly about the dangers the students could expect to face in the future, and the role they must play to keep their country free. It's easy to take freedom and democracy for granted, he said, but the world can be a hard and dangerous place. He reviewed some of the issues he'd been dealing with -- the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the rise of terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa among them. Your generation will face many more challenges, he said, so keep studying history and keep abreast of international affairs.

Mr. Dozier's students and colleagues asked some pretty direct questions about the controversial policies dogging the Bush Administration -- including the handling of terrorist suspects. But Jim didn't duck the questions, and I think he surprised them with his frankness.

For example, he said the detention camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had become an easy target for critics of the United States and its rule of law. Close them now, he said, and work to address the underlying causes of social unrest around the globe, such as poverty and famine. Though he was every inch the tough Marine, Jim also displayed the measured intellect that had earned him such respect in high places.

After about an hour, Jim left the class and went outside with Mary to pose for a picture in front of a sign greeting him in front of the high school. Then he climbed back in his Jaguar and was heading back to D.C. As he drove away, I wondered how long his peaceful idyll would last. For the first time since 1966 -- when President Lyndon B. Johnson was sending more American boys to Vietnam -- Jim had no troops under his command and no one lobbing shells (either literal or figurative) his way.

At this writing, Israel warplanes are bombing Gaza and Hamas is launching missiles back at its perennial enemy. The horror in Mumbai is still fresh. Al Qaida plots its next attack.

General Jones' words to the Freeman class seem as relevant as ever. Freedom isn't free. When duty calls, the correct answer is "yes."
Charles (Chip) Jones is the author of Red, White and Yellow? The media and the military at war in Iraq. He can be reached at at http://www.redwhiteandyellow.com.