Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Blaine Jones recently became the first Marine to be accepted as the Joint Operations senior enlisted advisor for U.S. Central Command.
A native of Sullivan, Indiana, Jones is the senior enlisted fire support man with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force here.
Jones said he knew he would be making history if he got the job. The sergeant major of the Marine Corps endorsed his nomination package.
Usually an Army Position
In the Marine Corps, master gunnery sergeants are technical experts in their military occupational specialties and usually aren’t given roles outside of their specialties. An Army command sergeant major usually serves in the job for which Jones was chosen.
The time he has spent operating in the Middle East probably is a factor that worked in his favor as a candidate for the position, Jones said.
“He came from a special operations community prior to here, so he has a wealth of knowledge,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Timothy Slinger, the deputy and effects coordinator for 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. “He brings an exceptional amount of operational experience, not just within his community, but beyond.”
Has Made History Before
This is not the first time Jones has made history in the Marine Corps; he was the first master gunnery sergeant to go the U.S. Marine Sergeant Major’s Course.
Jones not only thinks about his military occupational specialty as a master gunnery sergeant, Slinger said, but also has the experience and training of a sergeant major.
As he leaves the MEF level of operations and heads to Centcom, he will now be able to affect the lives of troops across all service branches.
“I am excited for him, but I am also hurting, because I am going to be missing this phenomenal senior enlisted leader that, in the short time he has been here, has done great things for 3rd MEF,” Slinger said. “It’s a bittersweet feeling.”