Missouri Guardsman to visit students on Veterans Day

MALDEN, Mo. -- On Veterans Day, Sgt. Cody Jones isn't using the government holiday as just a day off -- he intends to give a talk to a group of Malden High School students about the satisfaction that can be felt from serving one's country as well as the importance of Veterans Day.

On Wednesday, Jones will be visiting Paul Arnold's history classes to talk and answer any questions students may have about the Missouri National Guard, military service or the importance of Veterans Day.

He also will be taking a palletized load system truck and trailer to demonstrate how it works.

"Paul is a good friend of mine and he asked me to do this about three months ago," said Jones, the training noncommissioned officer for the 1140th Engineer Battalion's Forward Support Company in Cape Girardeau.

Jones said he accepted because it's important that young people have an idea how important and gratifying military service can be.

"Everybody in a uniform is emphasized on that day and it seems like a good time to approach the kids while Veterans are already on their mind," Jones said. "And for me, it's a good day to get out on my day off and show my gratitude to be in uniform. I'm looking forward to showing the young public that they have a chance to serve their country in the National Guard."

And since he's not a recruiter, Jones said, the students might feel less pressure to ask questions more openly.

"I just want to share my knowledge with the students and give them an idea of what the Guard is all about," Jones said. "Veterans Day seemed like a good day to do that."

Arnold -- who is also curator of the Stars and Stripes Museum -- said he asked his friend to come to talk to his high-school students because he has long known of Cody's "high character," love of his country and his military accomplishments. Jones will speak to about 150 students from four history classes, a psychology class and the Junior ROTC.

"He's had some experiences to draw from and he comes from a farming family and a lot of my kids are from farming families, too," Arnold said. "I like to get people from our community to come talk to the kids. They can relate better that way."

Jones lives in Dexter. He joined the U.S. Army in 1999. He went to basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and served in Hawaii for five years. Later, he joined the National Guard. He is a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he served in Afghanistan.

"I missed the military atmosphere and the uniform and the pride and decided I wanted to be back," he said.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.

-30-

For more information about this release, please contact Scott Moyers at 573-339-6237 or at scott.moyers1@us.army.mil