photo by David Smith
Command Sgt. Maj. James R. Jordan will complete a deployment with the 35th Signal Brigade before retiring.
Posted on 11/28/2004 12:12:52 AM PST by Former Military Chick
Command Sgt. Maj. James R. Jordan asked to stay in the Army for a year beyond his mandatory retirement date so he could complete a deployment to Iraq with the 35th Signal Brigade.
photo by David Smith
Command Sgt. Maj. James R. Jordan will complete a deployment with the 35th Signal Brigade before retiring.
''We are currently at war,'' Jordan said. ''We are doing things, and it requires leaders to do certain things. That's what I am, a leader.''
Like his younger brother, retired basketball star Michael Jordan, James Jordan loves his job, believes in helping his team, expects maximum effort from those around him, and will leave on his own terms.
The sergeant major stands 5-foot-7. His brother is about 6-foot-6. At Fort Bragg, the older brother has kept a low profile and avoided calling attention to his family connection.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jordan and about 500 soldiers of the brigade are scheduled to depart today for a year in Iraq.
Under normal conditions, the 47-year-old Jordan, who entered basic training in June 1975 and had three assignments in Korea, would start winding down his Army career in the spring as he approached the 30-year mark.
His colonel promised to support whatever decision he made, but Jordan had no intention of getting on an airplane April 29, flying home and leaving his brigade.
''That's not the way you want to end a 30-year career,'' Jordan said.
''People ask, 'Why?''' said Col. Bryan Ellis, the brigade commander. ''The answer is, he is completely selfless. We all want to see it go well.''
No-nonsense
Jordan is a no-nonsense noncommissioned officer with a shaved head and a wry sense of humor. In his job, he advises the commander as the senior enlisted soldier in the brigade of 2,450. Many of them are young specialists and sergeants facing back-to-back extended tours overseas.
''If you don't believe in selfless service, you are not going to make it in this business,'' Jordan said.
It's not your age that counts, it's your mind, said Jordan, the oldest person in the brigade. He went to airborne school, where most soldiers are in their teens or early 20s, as a 36-year-old first sergeant. At 47, he will run eight miles for physical training and expects soldiers to be alongside him, not lagging behind.
Three years of Junior ROTC at New Hanover High School in Wilmington helped convince Jordan that the Army was for him.
''I figured I wanted to be a soldier, plus I was the oldest of five kids,'' he said. ''I wanted to get out of the house and do something myself.''
In the early 1990s, he, as a sergeant first class, was the noncommissioned officer in charge of the team fielding the Mobile Subscriber Equipment, the Army's cell phone system.
''You would ask senior people for the answers to questions,'' said Ellis, the brigade commander. ''They would always say, 'Talk to Sgt. 1st Class Jordan.' He was the one that had the answers about anything - the training, the fielding, the maintenance.''
As Jordan sees it, his job is to help get the brigade to Iraq and back and resume the hectic work of providing communications for the 18th Airborne Corps around the world.
''The brigade has got to be prepared to do the mission when we return,'' Jordan said. ''Quite a few critical people are preparing to get out of the Army when they return.''
Preparing for danger
In recent months, he has been focused on preparing his soldiers for the dangers of Iraq.
''One of the things we found out is you've got quite a few soldiers who are technically smart,'' Jordan said. ''They can make a computer do everything you want it to do.''
But the computer-savvy soldiers also must know what to do on a Fort Bragg firing range or when a convoy is ambushed in Iraq.
''Your technical skills ain't going to help you be able to put steel where it needs to be,'' he said. '''Technical' ain't got nothing to do with it out there. You've got to be 'tactical' - just as qualified as the infantry.''
And don't tell the command sergeant major that a soldier can't pass the marksmanship test.
''That's the wrong answer,'' he said. ''You'll stay at that till you get it done. If you don't get it done today, you're going back tomorrow. Then tomorrow you get a little bit of love because I'll be standing over top of you, making sure you get it right.''
That's what a sergeant major is for, he said.
A noncommissioned officer can't be effective sitting in an office or standing back with hands on hips, he said.
''Some of my family really don't even know what I do,'' he said. ''They know I'm in the Army. That's about it. My immediate family and my wife, my kids, not extremely happy, but they are on the team. They say, 'Daddy, do what you've got to do.'''
Jordan said his mother told him he has ''been in it forever.''
''I've been doing this by myself for so long, being my own person, being my own soldier,'' he said. ''I'm going to continue doing it the same way until the day I feel like I need to hang it up, not when they feel like I need to hang it up.''
Military editor Henry Cuningham can be reached at cuninghamh@fayettevillenc.com or 486-3585.
Right behind ya!
My first post back! So, I hope you will give tribute to fine and selfless soldier. I did not post this because he was Michael Jordan's brother, but for his true patriotism for our country, I hope you will agree.
So we now know the military runs in Jordan's and Tyra Banks families are wonder how many other celebs have patriots in the family? Not gonna hold my breath though.
Now THERE'S a "role model" for ya'! I did not know you absolutely had to retire at the 30-year mark even if you were not yet even 50 (Airborne at 36?).
I so agree on the role model. I mean, why do we not hear about folks like this? Granted, I bet he wanted to be known without the fanfair of being Michael's brother.
I'm amazed MJ has not spoken publicly about his big brother (and true hero). If CSM Jordon comes out with a line of shoes when he retires, I will buy them!
Tyra's brother worked directly for me his first three years in the Military - I'm glad he turned out well :)
He went from E-1 to E-6 and is now a Capt !
"I so agree on the role model. I mean, why do we not hear about folks like this? Granted, I bet he wanted to be known without the fanfair of being Michael's brother."
"I'm amazed MJ has not spoken publicly about his big brother (and true hero). If CSM Jordon comes out with a line of shoes when he retires, I will buy them!"
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Makes perfect sense to me, if I was CSM Jordan I would absolutely prefer NOT to have to put up with 24/7 pestering about my famous brother from both enlisteds and officers (bad for discipline).
Thank you for sharing this, I saw that he had done quite well in the military when I looked at the photo's of Tyra Banks at Walter Reed hosptial. She said she was giving back, that it could be her brother in the hosptial. She really boosted the troops in the hosptial.
i read somewhere that Bruce Willis tried to enlist to go to Iraq, but was told he was too old, and that when President Bush caught wind of this, he called to personally thank him for his patriotism.
But I dont have anything to back this up, just read it somewhere. Anyone have a link or something?
I remember he had a video of his sister almost 20 years ago in a rap video and everyone was ho hum then a few years later she was in SI magazine :)
Command Sergeant Major Jordon will do just fine in retirement thank you;
he will not sell his name nor need to sell his name.
I only wish that the USA had more like him and [much] fewer of the pampered celeb's that represent the other side of his family.
OK, so telephone service isn't real glorious, it's necessary and it's still the serious NCO's that make it work.
ping
Actually, he posted it himself on his website forum. It wasn't that he was to old it was his knees or his back. I have CRS tonight :) http://www.brucewillis.com .
:O)
P
Thanks for the ping, Former Military Chick!
Airborne & Amen CSM!
Some stories make you proud to be an American!!!!!
Allright!
If CSM Jordon comes out with a line of shoes when he retires, I will buy them!
"Airborn Jordans" that would be cool
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