Command Sergeant Major James "Dusty" Jones is the Senior Enlisted Advisor and consultant to The Adjutant General, West Virginia Joint Forces Headquarters – West Virginia.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jones assumed the duties and responsibilities as the Senior Enlisted Leader of the West Virginia National Guard on Nov. 5, 2020. In his current position, he serves as the voice of the non-commissioned officer corps as an advisor and consultant to The Adjutant General on all matters pertaining to the nearly 6,400 enlisted Soldiers and Airmen of the West Virginia National Guard.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jones joined the Army in 1996, attending initial entry training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Upon graduation Command Sgt. Maj. Jones was assigned to 117th Field Artillery in Schweinfurt, Germany. Upon arriving at his unit, he was deployed to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor/Operation Joint Guard. CSM He was then assigned the 218th Field Artillery, Fort Lewis, Washington, where he completed his remaining time in the regular Army.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jones joined the West Virginia Army National Guard in 2000 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment. While assigned to the 1/201st, Command Sgt. Maj. Jones deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Upon returning from deployment, he was assigned to the 77th Brigade Troop Command as an Operations NCO where he remained until being selected as the First Sergeant of the 154th Military Police Company. After completion of his assignment as First Sergeant of the 154th, Command Sgt. Maj. Jones was selected to serve as the First Sergeant for the 157th Military Police Company. In 2017, he was selected as the Command Sergeant Major for the West Virginia Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion and in 2018, he was selected to be the Command Sergeant Major for the West Virginia Army National Guard. Through his career, Command Sgt. Maj. Jones has served as Team Leader, Squad Leader, Battalion Fire Support Sergeant, Operations NCO, First Sergeant and Command Sergeant Major.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jones's military and civilian education includes the Primary, Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses, the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, the Combatives Course, Battle Staff NCO Course, Air Assault Course, Anti-Terrorism Officer Course, OPSEC Officer Course, Physical Security Inspector Course, Law Enforcement Senior Leaders Course, AFATDS Subject Matter Expert Course and the HAZMAT Material Technician Course. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jones's military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (4th Award}, the Army Commendation Medal (6th Award), the Army Achievement Medal (4th Award), the Army Good Conduct Medal (6th Award), the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Expeditionary Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal (2 Stars), the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal (Silver Hourglass and Mobilization Device), the NCO Professional Development Ribbon (Numeral 5), the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Army Superior Unit Award (2nd Award), the WV Commendation Medal (2nd Award), the WV Achievement Ribbon, the WV Emergency Service Ribbon (8th Award), the WV State Service Ribbon (8th Award), the WV Army National Guard Service Ribbon, and the WV Minute Man Ribbon. CSM Jones has also been awarded the Combat Action Badge and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge in Silver.