Courtesy Photo | Nancy Heimbaugh, DLA Acquisition director, congratulates Navy Chief Petty Officer Boyd...... read more read more
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FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- A Navy chief petty officer with the Defense Logistics Agency’s Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office is a local radio station’s "Hero of the Week."
Chief Petty Officer Boyd Jordan, who is a quality assurance representative and contracting officer representative, earned the recognition with radio station 105.9 The Edge for the week of June 27-July 1.
Rebecca Riedler, center coordinator for the Fort Belvoir United Service Organizations, nominated Jordan for the honor.
"When I heard that Chief Jordan was selected, I was ecstatic," she said. "He’s such a deserving person."
Jordan is involved in the USO’s Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, Riedler said.
"Although he’s married himself, he always puts his time and efforts [toward] those single soldiers," she said. "He makes himself available evenings and weekends for them at the drop of a hat."
One incident in particular led Riedler to nominate Jordan. The Fort Belvoir USO held a monthly food distribution event for local military families June 1, but because of extreme heat, several volunteers left early.
"It was one of those heat wave days where it was 100 degrees," she said. "Afterwards, I was cleaning up with my mom."
Jordan was on his way to a meeting, saw them as he passed and stopped to help, Riedler said.
"He immediately dropped everything and came over and helped us for an hour and a half out in the heat," she said. "That’s just the way he is, he’ll do anything for anyone."
Jordan also remembered that day and said he couldn’t allow the two ladies to work alone in the heat.
"They didn’t expect to see me in [my] uniform, drenched and wet, but I didn’t think a second about jumping in and helping out," Jordan said.
Navy Capt. Francis Tisak, the DLA JCASO deputy director, also had praise for Jordan. He explained how Jordan supports JCASO’s mission to provide deployed support for contingency operations, primarily for acquisition matters.
"It’s a high visibility issue based on our experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "We have teams within JCASO that are deployment ready … to support whatever the contingency may be, and Chief Jordan is a member of one of [those] teams."
But Tisak noted that Jordan excels in more than his logistics support and program analysis.
"He’s also been exceptional in some of his collateral duties," Tisak said. "For example, he’s studying to become a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma."
Jordan’s willingness to mentor others is also far-reaching, Tisak said.
"He’s very active in the chief community … in the [Washington] D.C. area," he said. "One of the duties of a chief petty officer is to train and mentor junior enlisted, and he did a fabulous job in that regard."
When Tisak learned of Jordan’s nomination for Hero of the Week, he said he was pleased, but not surprised.
"Certainly, we all take the time as leaders to recognize our people for the performance that they do, but it’s very nice when someone external to your organization [commends one of your employees for] a fabulous job," he said.
Although Jordan lends his time and financial planning expertise to more than one organization, the USO holds a special place in his heart, he said.
"Having spent 23 years in this service, I always thought [the USO] was a unique organization," he said. "I am affiliated with various organizations that I volunteer with and give a lot of my time to. I try and make life a little better whether it’s service members or families in the community."
Prior to his position with DLA, Jordan has served numerous positions and locations in the Navy, including a one-year tour in Afghanistan.
"What really touched me is [that during] my time in Afghanistan and my travels in the Navy, … whether it’s in [the United States] or overseas, the USO has always done great things for us as far as morale and recreation," Jordan said. "I saw this as something beneficial toward the service members."
Jordan determined that he would find a way to give back when he was assigned to DLA and was surprised to find that Fort Belvoir had its own USO office, he said.
"I was just so happy to find out when I came here to Fort Belvoir they had a USO right here on base," he said. "I went and talked to the coordinator and said, ‘What can I do to help out here?’"
Jordan had already created a mentorship program called "Mountain Movers," he said.
"I just laid it out to them that I talk about financial investments [and] personal and career development, as well," he said. "So I found a special niche with them, and the rest is history."
Jordan continues to take advantage of invitations to speak to service members, as he did recently at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, in Richmond, Va.
"They gave me another opportunity to reach out and talk to wounded warriors and disabled veterans, and any time I’m in a forum, whether it’s in church or community opportunity where I get invited to speak, … I use that opportunity to just help the community at large."
He added that his parents taught him his most valuable life lessons.
"All my life, my parents taught me about giving back," he said. "We used to sit around the dinner table, and something my mother would just drill [into] us was … ‘Give without remembering; receive without forgetting.’"
Jordan’s father also taught him the essence of living is giving, he said.
"When I branched out on my own, I understood what he was saying. I got the message," Jordan said. "It’s just the right thing to do. I think the true and most noble way of spelling success is giving back to others and watching them grow from [it]."
Regarding his nomination for "Hero of the Week," Jordan said he was very humbled.
"I just believe service before self; I don’t care who gets the credit as long as we can carry out the job or the mission," he said. "I’m not doing this to glorify myself; I have a higher calling. It’s certainly not about me at this point in my life."
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2011 11:05 |
| Story ID: | 74383 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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