Reblogged: Military Life Tribute to a Soldier

From the Fayetteville (NC) Observer online,

[James R. Jordan] can look back on a 31-year Army career in which he became command sergeant major of the Army’s only airborne signal brigade, which is based at Fort Bragg. That’s the top job for an enlisted signal soldier . . .

Jordan was bumping up against his 30-year retirement date when the 35th Signal Brigade got orders to go to Iraq in 2004. He talked to his family and decided he should go.

“Jordan put his life on hold to go to deploy to Iraq with his soldiers,” said [Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph] Allen, who made the same decision as command sergeant major of the 1st Corps Support Command . . .

Leadership means making tough decisions - decisions that become tougher in wartime, Jordan said, noting that some young officers who excelled in school couldn’t cut it on the battlefield.

“Some people went as leaders and didn’t come back as leaders,” he said. “The idea is, you’ve got to do your job to a standard. We held them to a standard. If you didn’t do a standard, you were removed.”

Making a wrong decision in Iraq is “not like getting lost on the back 40 at Fort Bragg,” Jordan said.

I agree with James Joyner at OutsideTheBeltway, a decorated vet of Operation Desert Storm himself, when he says, The Jordan family work ethic served both brothers quite well, taking them to the top of their careers.

Command Sergeant Major Jordan's "little" brother is Michael Jordan.