Soaring: My Improbable Life

By Major Alphonso B. Jones and Kim Nelson

For far too long, we have been fed the stereotypes of Black men and witnessed them played out in the arena of education, family, and careers. Sadly, despite evidence to the contrary, those have been the images that get the attention and the energy. Today, however, I have the pleasure of reviewing Soaring: My Improbable Life, co-authored by Maj. Alphonso B. Jones and his daughter Kim Jones Nelson (Kim’s beautiful book On Life: Things I Should Have Told You was reviewed in last week’s edition of Insight News).

Born in Washington D.C. in 1932, the oldest of six children, Alphonso and his twin Aloysius were raised to a standard of excellence. He met with his share of naysayers in school—including teachers–but it only takes one person to say “You’ve got this. You can do this.” He found such a teacher, who encouraged him to become an officer in the military. While participating in the Navy cadet program in school, he excelled both academically and in sports. During his college years, he attended the University of Michigan and became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.          

There is truth in the saying “When a door closes, God will open a window.” When the Navy wouldn’t accept him to become an officer, the Air Force presented him with the opportunity, and he ran with it. In his ambition to become a navigator, he knew Black officers were regarded in two camps: doubt that they could do it, or “damn good.” Jones stated he was “damn good,” and he had the credentials to back it up.

Subsequently, his skills also translated into his assignments as squadron commander, wing commander, and flight records officer, not to mention his travel to different parts of the world in wartime and peacetime. During his stint in the Air Force, he was often the only Black commissioned officer on a base or division. The U.S. military was desegregated in 1948, hence he bore witness to the dichotomy between life on base and the segregation off base when he was stationed on the mainland.

He married the love of his life, Muriel Warren, in 1956. They raised three successful children and weathered the challenges that came with the territory of a military family. Though his duties as an Air Force officer kept him traveling and away from his family for long stretches of time, Hawaii was their home for over 40 years, and they thrived in its multicultural environment.

Jones learned some hard lessons, including “the convenience of the government.” Before the 20-year mark of his service and a promotion from captain to major during the Viet Nam years, he was faced with the choice of being forced out of the Air Force or being demoted to the rank of staff sergeant for the duration of his time before he could retire. Ironically, this happened around the same time he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest honor he could receive from the Air Force for his service. It was a humbling experience, but he did it, and retired with the rank of major.

The grass didn’t grow under him after his retirement. He went on to become an educator, a director in the Catholic youth ministry, a world traveler, and made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

What stands out for me, in addition to his love of family, is Jones’ outstanding commitment to service, during his military career, as an educator, and in his faith community, throughout his life. His story also resonates with me because I am the son of an Air Force officer; both Jones and my father were born in the same year.

This review would only scratch the surface of what Maj. Alphonso Jones has accomplished in his life and the lives he has touched, and his legacy lives on in his children Angie, Al Jr., and Kim, each becoming successful in their own right. When I finished this book, all I could say was, “Wow.”

Soaring: My Improbable Life is available through Amazon and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo.

Thank you for being a living embodiment of the motto, “Believe in dreams and never give up.”