Eric Jones

Eric Jones felt compelled to help people from an early age and became an EMT as soon as he turned 18. That led to him joining the Prince George’s County Fire Department where he received additional training in firefighting, search and rescue, hazardous materials, and rescue diving. Eric continued by earning his Paramedic certification, and in 1998 graduated from George Washington University (GWU) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences, with a focus on Emergency Medical Services, and a minor in Psychology.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Eric was driving to class at GWU (he was then working towards a Master’s in Public Health), and as he neared the Pentagon, American Airlines flight 77 had just crashed into the building. Knowing he had the skills to help, he pulled over and ran towards the Pentagon. He helped pull and carry five people from the impact zone, and then spent the next four days as a member of the Mortuary Affairs team removing the remains of those killed. On September 14, Eric finally left the Pentagon, and drove to New York Ground Zero, to join fellow members of his fire department who were already there assisting with the massive search and rescue operations. He spent another two weeks engaged in search and rescue, and then search and recovery operations. For his efforts, Eric was one of two people awarded the Medal of Valor from the Department of Defense, the highest civilian award issued for heroism.

Eric is the founder and captain of Sea Valor.  Sea Valor is a sailboat and organization dedicated to using sailing and other ocean activities to help improve the quality of life for underserved youth, local heroes (particularly those serving in public safety), and people with physical or emotional wounds and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Eric co-facilitates Libertiva’s Foundational Equity Series professional development workshops, especially those with public safety employees in attendance.