by Shawn Nowlin
Some people know what they want to do in life by the time they reach high school. One such individual is Jason Ford. As a senior at Glenvar High School, he was regularly asked what was he going to do after graduation.
“I’ve always wanted to join the military since I was a little kid,” he said.
Kenny Ford, Jason’s father, was a local police officer for 31 years. His mother, Susan Ford, has worked at Wells Fargo for nearly three decades.
“My parents have always supported me. I played football for four years and wrestled for two years at Glenvar, and they were always there,” Jason added.
He chose the Army over the other military branches mainly because that’s where several of his family members served. His grandfather and two uncles were in the Army and he remembers how they always talked about their experiences and how much it helped them later in life.
“The Army also had a job that interested me, and that was a huge plus,” said Jason who is a Delta Calvary Scout with the Virginia Army National Guard. In his position he is responsible for being the eyes and ears of the commander.
“The Army has taught me so many things. Most importantly, how selfless sacrifice can make a difference in the world.”
The young soldier is a decendent of a family of military veterans. He once was deployed to Qatar (9/2015 to 7/2016) for Operation Enduring Freedom Spartan Shield and would go to Virginia Beach for drills once a month.
But October 2017 is a month that Jason Ford will never forget. He, along with several other reserve guards, went to St. Thomas Virgin Islands for two weeks to hand out relief supplies to locals affected by Hurricane Irma when about 12 inches of rain fell on Saint Thomas causing widespread damage. Saint John, the smallest of three main US Virgin Islands with under 4,500 residents, was also devastated by the hurricane.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “Being up that close put a lot of things in perspective.”
The Virgin Islands wasn’t the first time Jason traveled somewhere to help those in need. “My dad, my brother and I went to Houston in September for a week to supplies that we collected from Glenvar High School, several churches and an elementary school in Radford.”
A typical day for Jason consists of working with his brother and dad on their own family construction business, “K&J Properties,” that has been around for about 20 years. “We specialize in plumbing and electronics, but (he added) also have commercial and residential building licenses.
“Hat off” to this admirable Glenvar grad and his family of caring members and entrepreneurs!
