AMMAN, JORDAN -- Large-scale military exercises can be overwhelming, but there are Airmen up to the task of taking them on repeatedly.
Chief Master Sgt. Marvin Jones, 94th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, is no stranger to military exercises and operations. This year, he successfully completed his second tour at Exercise Eager Lion in Jordan, Aug. 25 to Sept. 5.
“I started assisting with setting up Exercise Eager Lion last October and I didn’t really know at the time that I was going to retire,” said Jones. “I wanted to finish this out and for this be my last hoorah before going out the door.”
Jones has been at Dobbins since 2003 and promoted to Chief at the age of 36 back in 2015 while he was deployed.
It’s no surprise that fellow Airmen would take notice of someone so dedicated to their profession for an entire career.
“It has always been amazing working with Chief Jones,” said Senior Master Sgt. T.J. James, a 94th AMXS flight chief. “He’s a can-do guy who, anytime you need something done, he makes it happen. He’s extremely knowledgeable to the point that I can’t even describe it. He just always seems to have the answer.”
“He’s always been someone that can get things done,” said Master Sgt. Melissa Walker, 94th Maintenance Group Command Support Staff NCOIC. “If he knew the answer, he’d explain it to me and if he didn’t, he would point me in the right direction. He’s proven to be extremely professional, laid back, empathetic, knowledgeable, charismatic and someone that I have come to truly admire.”
The thought of losing such a wealthy source of knowledge like Jones can prove troublesome to many organizations, but not to fear as his Airmen are ready to pick up where he left off.
“There’s going to be a void,” said James. “Whenever you lose that much experience and knowledge you try to soak up as much as you can. We will try to pick up where he left off to keep the mission going. We’re going to miss that experience and we’re definitely going to miss that calm demeanor. He’s the voice of reason that keeps us all cool.”
Participating in Eager Lion can absorb a lot of time, but that valuable time spent with other Airmen brings unity.
“It’s the family away from the family that I’ll miss the most,” said Jones. “The military life is a lot different. People in the civilian sector don’t realize that because we do exercises like these and go to different countries that we lean on these fellow Airmen that are with you as family.”