11/11/2025
🇺🇸Honoring Richard Ford🇺🇸
Billie Williams, Executive Director at CLMC, shares a heartfelt story about her grandfather, Richard Wayne Ford, and his service in the Army. Born in Cortez, Colorado, on October 11, 1936, to Cloyd and Dona Mae Ford, he moved to Oklahoma at the age of six. His father was a farmer, and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. He had a twin sister, an older brother, and two sisters. Richard was drafted into the U.S. Army in September 1959, just two weeks after marrying his wife on September 5, 1959. Following basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas, he was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where he served in the Honor Guard and helped with funerals at Punch Bowl in Honolulu. His mother passed away in November 1960, and he received a hardship discharge to help his father with fall crops.
He was called back during the Berlin Crisis in October 1961 and was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Richard was honorably discharged on August 31, 1965, holding the rank of SP 4. After his service, he earned a college degree from NSU in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, taught school for 28 years, and served as a pastor for Onapa Baptist Church for 52 years. Thank you for your service, Richard!
