Lt. Col. Derek Jones, U.S. Air Force

Derek Jones was following in his father's footsteps when he pursued military service after high school. His father had been a prominent and highly respected musical leader in both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps. Derek chose Air Force ROTC at Samford University in pursuit of becoming a fighter pilot. He succeeded and became an elite, Top Gun-winning pilot in the F-111. When that plane was shelved by the military, Jones started flying F-16's. But two decades into his Air Force career, Jones felt a new calling - the ministry.

In this...