Coast Guard Meritorious Advancement for Officer Jones

The Coast Guard meritoriously advanced a boatswains mate during a ceremony at Coast Guard Station Ketchikan.

Rear Admiral Matthew T. Bell, Jr., the 17th Coast Guard District commander, meritoriously advanced Petty Officer 2nd Class Alta Jones, a boatswain’s mate at Station Ketchikan, to Petty Officer 1st Class in recognition of her outstanding contributions and accomplishments both on and off-duty. 

Jones was recognized for exceptional proficiency while conducting Coast Guard operations and responding to a 250-ton vessel dragging an anchor. After arriving on scene and overcoming 115-mph winds, she was able to safely maneuver the much larger vessel into an area of safety, ultimately preventing a major pollution incident and saving the two lives aboard.

Additionally, Jones was recognized for performing duties well beyond her normal paygrade and filling critical leadership vacancies at Station Ketchikan. Serving as both the operations and training petty officer, she dedicated off-duty time to assist station members with enlisted performance qualifications and aided in service-wide exam preparations. Jones’ efforts resulted in the qualification of ten communication watch standers, twelve boat crewmembers, six engineers and three coxswains, subsequently enabling Station Ketchikan to meet all operational readiness requirements.