Featured photo: Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Antonio B. Jones Jr.
Written by Tanya Terry, with information provided from a release by Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Dobbs
PITTSBURGH –The Flint Courier News and Flint community celebrate the accomplishments of Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Antonio B. Jones Jr.! Jones, a native of Flint, was recently selected as the National Support Person of the Year for Navy Recruiting Command’s Recruiter of the Year program.
Jones was selected from among more than 920 personnel support members from 26 NTAGs across the nation to achieve this honor. He is currently assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Pittsburgh.
“It feels good,” Jones said.
He continued by saying this is the first award he has ever really won.
“It may prep me for hopefully always winning,” he said.
Support personnel play a valuable role in the recruiting mission, and the Support Person of the Year award is an annual award to recognize them for their outstanding and professional performance during the fiscal year.
Jones, the leading petty officer for his administrative department, processed more than 1,000 items of correspondence including retirements, travel claims, awards, evaluations and fitness reports. He led, trained and mentored senior and junior sailors and cross-trained two civilians on the daily operations of NTAG Pittsburgh’s administrative department.
Jones humbly described his work as similar to other administrative jobs outside the military.
“I’m one of the people you speak with regarding your pay and personnel record,” he explained. “I’m like the liaison to the personnel support detachment (PSD)…As the middle man, it is part of my job to make sure that everything is correct before it gets up to PSD for release or verification. I also ensure the accuracy of retiring or separating members’ DD214s (certificates of release or discharge from active duty and reserves in the military) before it gets into their hands.
“My family is still there (in Flint). Growing up in a single (mother) parent home with two older brothers and two little sisters is the key factor in my drive for success. The main times I get to go back to Flint are on certain holidays, but this is mainly due to the fact that I like to give my family the opportunity to be able to visit me wherever I’m stationed.
“When it comes to my business degree, I want to make sure I have a clear cut plan on how I want to help clean up Flint…the main thing that is really dear to me is helping decrease the homelessness in the city, with starting a nonprofit.”
Prior to joining the Navy, Jones lived on Flint’s East Side for almost 20 years. His first job was working at Mr. Alan’s Shoes and Sportswear on Flint’s North Side as a sales associate and cashier at the age of 16. He worked there for nearly 10 years. He graduated in December of 2021 from Baker College of Flint with his Bachelor in Business Administration. At the age of 32, he became one of the first in his immediate family to graduate from college, which is one of his proudest moments. Jones said Flint actually made him who he is today and has shown him hard work really pays off.
Jones hopes his efforts inspire other Flint natives and Flint residents.
Jones would also like to move up the ladder to first class petty officer or officer. In doing so, he will gain more responsibility and become more of a “subject matter expert in the field.” He said he never wants to “just get complacent.”
“In order for you to make change, you’ve got to be the change you seek.”
