Published: April 29, 2025
By Mallory Mattingly
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones joined a USO tour to honor his parents’ military legacy.
In 2003, Jones watched his mother leave for deployment to Kuwait. His dad also served in the Army, so the athlete understands the sacrifice that comes with a military career.
Now, 22 years later, he FaceTimed his mom from her old military base.
“I told her, ‘I’m here — this is where you were,’” Jones told PEOPLE. “For me to be here — to see what she saw — it’s everything.”
Jones wasn’t always happy as a military kid, but it’s a life he is grateful for.
“It was tough,” the running back explained. “We didn’t have the technology we have today — no Skype or Zoom. It was just letters, and I remember that feeling of uncertainty. We had to trust that she’d come back.”
“It prepared me for life,” he added. “You don’t realize it at the time, but moving around so much, I had to constantly re-establish myself. That’s something I carry with me today.”
As part of his partnership with the USO and the NFL, Jones advocated for the “Month of the Military Child.”
“Hi. This is Aaron Jones, and I’m a military child. April is the month of military children,” Jones said in a video posted on The USO Instagram page earlier this month. “Let’s team up to purple up April 15th. Put on your purple shirts, and let me see you. Military children go through so much. You serve as if your parents were serving. You go through those hardships, having to pick up and move, parents deploying, and I’ve faced that firsthand. Both of my parents deployed at one point. So, this is the Month of the Military Child. Let’s get behind them and support them. Glad to be teaming up with USO to make this happen. Purple up.”
A lot of military children tend to follow in their parents’ footsteps, but Jones never wanted that for himself.
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“I faced those hardships with my parents; I see what it’s like to be away from your family,” he told PEOPLE.
However, Jones does appreciate the moments he gets to give back to those who do serve.
“It was life-changing for me,” he said of his experience on the USO tour. “It took me back to relive my experience and made me thankful for the journey of life.”
Jones also loves serving in his local community.
“The most selfish thing you can do is help someone else. Why? Because it feels good to serve others,” Jones wrote on his social media.
While growing up as a military child wasn’t easy for the running back, it made Jones the man he is today. Now, he uses his resources and extra time to give back to those who serve.
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