Serving with Honor: Ben Jones ’00

How did you get into the field you’re in now?

There’s never been a day in my life that I didn’t want to fly. I watched my uncle who was an Air Force Thunderbird pilot growing up, and that’s all I ever wanted to do. I knew the direction of each step towards an airplane cockpit for pretty much my entire life. I believe God specifically tailors our DNA to suit what He intends for us to do, and I always asked Him to show me what it was. The path never looks quite like we think it will though.

In what ways did Dunham prepare you?

Dunham was an excellent environment to prepare for the challenges of becoming a military and commercial pilot. The academic challenges were my number one adversary, and having a cadre of Godly men and women helping me believe in myself when it felt impossible was huge. All it takes is one teacher or one coach to encourage and believe in the kid who struggles, and it can be the difference for him or her for the rest of his or her life. It is difficult to see the impact of the positive and the negative things we do and say to those we lead — it is an epic and eternal responsibility. The athletic field is a perfect training ground for life’s challenges because it is a combat environment similar to the real battlefield. It prepares men and women by teaching teamwork, trust, how to lead and follow, and how to fight through fear. Any time you face a situation that makes you dig deep down in your gut to persevere through a challenge, it is a good thing. I learned to never, never, never ever give in or give up.

What do you consider your greatest achievement so far?

I always wanted to be a husband and a father, and hopefully I’m succeeding at both. Hopefully championing my children as my parents did me is my crowning personal achievement. Regarding professional achievements, I would have to say that graduating #1 in my Air Force pilot training class after years and years of pursuit was incredibly rewarding.

Ben Jones is a C-130 Aircraft Commander in the Air Force Reserve, commercial pilot for Delta Air Lines, cancer survivor, family man, and proud multi-time Dunham Field Day pie eating contest winner. Ben, who graduated from Louisiana Tech, currently lives in Pensacola, Florida. He and his wife, Wendy, have four children, Stephen, Katelyn, Madalyn, and Colton.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would be your alternate profession or dream job?

Being an airshow pilot would be the dream, but that’s probably too close to qualify as an answer. I’ve always been a huge weather geek and was fascinated with thunderstorms. I probably would have pursued meteorology or storm chasing. Interestingly, part of our mission in the C-130 is to fly into hurricanes to determine their strength and direction, but it’s purely a coincidence that flying and storm chasing ended up together. My mother was always so patient and brave because even in high school when it started to storm, I started to drive. I’ve also always been very interested in people, and psychology would have been a close third.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be Maverick from Top Gun. Flying supersonic fighter jets and shaking your fist at planes on your motorcycle seemed like the coolest thing in the world. I eventually discovered that living on a boat packed in tight with a bunch of other dudes and not flying as much as it seems you do in the movie steered me towards the Air Force. I also discovered that often the most rewarding missions are flown by the slower aircrafts that are the unsung heroes of the Air Force inventory.

What’s one thing someone wouldn’t know about you?

I’m an open book and a talker so that’s probably a short list. Probably that my right leg is ever so slightly shorter than my left from breaking it so many times growing up. If only that were an excuse for not being able to throw a baseball as well as I should have been able to.

If you could go back and give advice to yourself as a senior at Dunham, what would you say?

That is definitely not a short list. I’d for sure tell myself not to take that last double-up back flip on the wakeboard because you’re going to destroy your knees and miss half of your senior football season, but hey ... sometimes you just gotta send it. YOLO. I’d also say eat breakfast and learn what a real muscle-building diet actually looks like, join the Air National Guard first, ask Katelyn Dial out, hit that last pitch a fraction of an inch lower, and stop worrying about trigonometry.

What do you like to do for fun?

My family and I love being on the boat and anchoring out in the lagoon at the beach or heading to our favorite waterfront restaurants. When I’ve got free time solo (which is rare), I love to hunt, ski the mountains, fish, and ride my motorcycle.

Favorite thing to do in Pensacola?

Definitely either being on the boat for a Blue Angels beach airshow or to fly down the beach at low altitude in a Piper Cub airplane with the doors off. It’s like riding a motorcycle in the sky and you get a view of the beautiful Florida beaches like no other.

What’s your favorite book?

That is a really, really tough one so you’ll just have to accept a top four: Proverbs, Ephesians, The Story of Liberty by Charles Coffin, and Forever Flying by Bob Hoover.