Face of Defense: Sailor Brings Navy Values to High School Students, Athletes

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Necorian Jones, a dental corpsman with 4th Dental Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, also a high school teacher and football coach in Texas, poses for a photo during preparations for Louisiana Care 2017 in Reserve, La., July 12, 2017. Marine Corps photo by Pvt. Samantha Schwoch (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Face of Defense: Sailor Brings Navy Values to High School Students, Athletes

By Marine Corps Pfc. Melany Vasquez

Marine Forces Reserve

RESERVE, La., July 31, 2017 — Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Necorian Jones, a dental corpsman with 4th Dental Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, is also a high school teacher and coach for the track and football teams at Little Elm High School in Texas.

"I've been coaching and teaching for six years," Jones said. "Working with athletes and seeing them grow from young boys into young men is one of the most valued things in my life."

Jones would like to pursue his education in teaching and start working in a higher level of education.

"I really like teaching," Jones said. "I would like to go back to school for my master's degree and eventually become a professor at a collegiate level."

Jones said he was able to adjust quickly to working for the Navy while remaining focused on his job as a teacher. "They're very separate, I treat them as different entities," he said. "I jump into my Navy Reserve duty and then I go back to work without any big adjustments."

Finding Purpose

The Navy's core values are one of many things that Jones always brings into his civilian life and teaches to both his track and football teams. He gives the Navy credit for helping him find purpose in life.

"I teach a lot of the Navy core values to my athletes on and off the field," he said. "That has always been one of my statements. I really appreciated our core values and always applied them to any job. The Navy changed my life; it gave me a purpose and structure that I hold with value." 

After his time on active duty, Jones transitioned to the Navy Reserve. He thought about what he exceled at in high school, searching for a passion that would navigate him in the direction he wanted to go.

"I was on active duty for four years, and I was thinking about what I wanted to do when I got out," he said. "I love football, so I decided to coach the football team. Being from Texas, I needed to teach a class as well, and I enjoyed math in high school."

Jones said that though the careers are different, he knows he can be successful in all that he puts his mind to.

"You have to have a whole lot of patience and be a hard worker," he said. "You have to learn to adjust on the fly and adapt to all types of areas."