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St Lucian woman makes US Military History

Posted by CaribShout on October 17, 2010 at 5:52pm

She abides by a simple creed: “Hard work and pride in what I do!” On a beautiful fall day, October 1, 2010 this daughter of St. Lucia, who hailed from the East Coast village of Dennery, etched her name in U.S. military history. Chief Warrant Officer Four, (CW4) Coral J. Jones, who may best be remembered in St. Lucia by her maiden name Benn, became the first African American to be promoted to Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5). This distinguished and enviable distinction was conferred on Ms. Jones, by Mr. John B. Nerger, Executive Director of U.S. Army Installation Management Command of Arlington, Virginia. At a promotion ceremony at FOSCOM Hall at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia Mr. Nerger said that there was none other more deserving of such a promotion than CW5 Jones for her “commitment, dedication and sacrifice to the country.” He dubbed the auspicious occasion as a “celebration of her professionalism and that of the army.” Mr. Nerger said that the secret of her success came from “doing what she loves to do and genuinely loving her work.” Consequently, “she stands here today, with the shared sacrifices of her family as the first African American female breaking barriers.” During her sixteen (18) years of unwavering military service as a Chief Warrant Officer she has served in in a myriad of challenging assignments and has worked at several levels of command—Company, Battalion, Brigade Division and ACOM which includes United States Army Europe; Tazar, Hungary; Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk; Allied Forces Southern Europe, Italy; Headquarters, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command; 160th Signal Brigade, Kuwait; and Headquarters, United States Army Forces Command. Overcame by the enormity of the moment, CW5 Jones took the podium with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. She thanked her husband Derrick for his devotion and her two sons Leighton and Cedric Jones for putting up with her many tours of duty. “I could not have done it without such shared sacrifices,” she said, as she gained her composure and wipe the tears from her eyes. Then she turned her attention to the families, friends, co-workers, well-wishers and a contingent from the St. Lucia Association of Georgia who showed up to share in this unique accomplishment. “I’m convinced,” she said, “my success could not have been possible without the many people I met along the way.” With a broad, infectious smile that stretches across her face, Officer Jones exclaimed, “You all made this day a reality for me and that is why it is so good!” Officer Jones was born in Barbados but shortly thereafter returned to St. Lucia where she completed her early schooling. By the time she completed her junior secondary education at the age of 12 years her nomadic parents in search of their dreams and a better future moved to St Croix. With her parents contemplating how to financially support her through college, she persuaded them to let her join the military. Her only intention was to relieve her parents of the financial strain of seeing her through college. Mrs. Jones enlisted in the Army at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, 24 November 1981 as a Personnel Records Specialist, MOS 75D. She proudly serves in the enlisted ranks for 12 years, achieving the grade of Staff Sergeant Promotable. She was appointed as WO1 on 19 August 1994. CW5 Jones served two tours as Detachment Commander. An accomplished military officer, CW5 Jones awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters. Her education includes the Warrant Officer Senior Staff Course at the Warrant Officer Career College, a BA in Human Resources from Saint Leo University and an AA in General Education from Central Texas College. She is currently working on her masters. In an exclusive interview for the St Lucia Star newspaper, CW5 Jones said that her basic principle of life is to work hard. She explains: “It is my belief that your work defines who you are as a person. I do not like to do anything over so I give it my best shot the first time around. It is like giving more than one hundred percent.” She said, she never contemplated nor anticipated a full military career since her primary purpose for going into the military was to use it as a stepping stone to a college education but after spending ten years she decided that this was the place for her. The proud mother of two sons, CW5 Jones issued this message to all young people. “Be true to yourselves and make the best of what God gives you. Be confident in you abilities. “To immigrants she said, “while America is a land of opportunities it is you who must make the best of the good there is.” But as proud as she was to receive this accolade from her adopted country, CW5 Jones said, “ I feel proud to be a St Lucian…This is a great day for all St Lucians.” A patriot to her bones.
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Tags: history, lucian, military, st, us, caribbean, makes, people, woman

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