Photo By Sgt. Michael Ito | Sgt. Jeremy Ford, 1st platoon sergeant, Battery K, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine...... read more read more
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FORT SILL, Okla. -- When a Marine graduates from recruit training, there is only one thing they will be for the rest of their lives: a Marine. But Sgt. Jeremy Ford found a way around that.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve allows you to serve your country and maintain a life in the civilian world, said Ford, 1st platoon sergeant, Battery K, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. It allows you to become everything people expect of a Marine.
Ford quit a community college in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to join the Marine Corps. He arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2005, a fitting date, since he now loves the Corps, said Sgt. Clifton Allred, 2nd platoon sergeant, Battery K, 2nd Bn., 14th Marines.
Seven years later, Ford continues to successfully serve in the Marine Corps and has earned a nursing degree from the University of Alabama.
Known for his dedication to the Corps, he deployed to Afghanistan with Battery K, 2nd Bn., 14th Marines following his graduation.
When he finished his Reserve commitment, he began looking for a job. To his surprise, not all employers were supportive of his choice to serve in the Marine Corps.
When Ford started his job search, his first interviewer noticed the gap between his graduation and the time of his application created by his deployment, and asked what he had been doing during that time.
“I explained that I was extremely dedicated to the Marine Corps, and about my obligations,” Ford said. “When she asked if I had ever held a ‘real’ job, I knew I wasn’t going to be working for her.”
Shortly after, Ford found a job at the University of Alabama – Birmingham, and he couldn’t be happier.
“They understand my obligations and support my commitment,” he said. “That’s how an employer should look at the situation, because it takes a special dedication to be a Marine Corps Reservist.”
That dedication, Ford says, comes with the territory for Reserve Marines.
“What people should really understand is that these Marines aren’t making tons of money doing what they do on drill weekends and annual training,” he said. “These Marines are here because they want to be Marines. They want to come out here and improve themselves and develop their leadership skills.”
Leadership skills are something Ford knows well, said Allred. Allred joined the USMCR at roughly the same time as Ford and has been working with him ever since.
“Sgt. Ford is a natural born leader,” Allred said. “Anyone can sign on the dotted line, run a little bit and meet the minimum standards. But the way that he has adapted to military life, he’s taken it by the reigns, learned and developed, and passed on what he’s learned to make some phenomenal non-commissioned officers.”
Ford will be working in the emergency room at the university hospital in Birmingham. He says he will be looking forward to the challenge the hectic pace in the ER will provide.
“One big thing that I will bring from the Marine Corps into my new job is that when something happens, you have to react, and react in the right way or someone could possibly get hurt,” Ford said. “Aside from that, the leadership and management skills I’ll be bringing from the Corps can be applied almost universally.”
Transferring skills from the Marine Corps to civilian life comes naturally to Ford, Allred said.
“He definitely has the right mindset to balance both lives,” said Allred. “His professionalism, courtesy, leadership skills and selflessness are there every day, whether he’s wearing cammies or not.”
He’ll bring a special set of skills to his new job, Allred added. The knowledge and experience he has developed in the Marine Corps can take years to develop anywhere else.
“It can be incredibly difficult to make everything happen, between work, school, family and the Marines. The sacrifices you have to make are huge,” Ford said. “But the things you learn in the Corps like prioritizing, organizational skills and management skills can get you through.”
He takes both his job and the Marines equally as seriously, and uses Marine Corps skills every day.
“I’m bringing the same work ethic to everything that I do,” Ford said. “It’s the same whether you’re working with staff NCOs or doctors. You show tact. You train your juniors. There’s no difference.”
Ford plans to continue his new job as well as possibly pursue a full career in the Marine Corps. He also hopes to start a family soon.
“We’re still held to the same standards on both sides,” Ford says. “The Marine Corps teaches us honor, courage and commitment, and every Marine, active duty or Reserve, should strive to live those every day.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2012 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 90995 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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