Jones was born in
Jackson, Mississippi, to parents who were both school teachers. He was the eldest of four children, with one sister and two brothers. He attended
Lanier High School where he was elected President of the Mississippi State Association of Student Councils and in 1973, graduated
valedictorian. He subsequently attended the
United States Air Force Academy, where he was the
middleweight boxing champion, cadet vice wing commander, and a 1977 honor graduate majoring in
Mathematics. He is the first
African-American graduate of a military academy from Mississippi. Jones became an
F-4E pilot in the
United States Air Force. He was transferred to the 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Clark AB in the
Philippines and became flight leader and mission commander in Team Spirit and Cope Thunder exercises. In 1981, Jones arrived at
Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida (previously known as Homestead Air Force Base, or Homestead AFB) as an F-4 Phantom ll instructor pilot, twice named the 31st TTS Outstanding Instructor Pilot and six consecutive classes of student pilots named him their Outstanding Instructor Pilot. Jones left active Air Force duty in 1984 and enrolled at the
University of Miami School of Law. During his time at university, was recognized with membership in the
Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the university. He graduated
cum laude in 1987 after serving as president of both the Student Bar and National Bar Associations. Jones worked as a federal judicial clerk for Judge Peter Fay in the
11th Circuit Court of Appeals, then as an Assistant Dade County Attorney at
Miami International Airport. He joined the
Puerto Rico Air National Guard as an A-7D Corsair ll fighter pilot. In 1989, Jones transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve at Homestead AFB and became an F-16 Falcon fighter pilot. He rose to the rank of
colonel as an Air Force Reservist. == Political career ==