Ford played the Task Force Commander. The one who made the critical decisions in the heat of battle. Forgetting for the moment that he was Canadian.
Glenn Ford played Task Force Commander Admiral Raymond Spruance in the Midway movie. When Admiral Halsey was layed up with shingles and could not particpate in the upcoming Midway campaign, he recommend Spruance to take his place as Carrier Task Force commander to Admiral Chester Nimitz. Spruance commanded Halsey's Cruiser force previously.
Yes, Glenn Ford was born Canadian, but moved to the U.S. when he was 8 years old and became a naturalized American Citizen in 1939. Ford served in the Marine Corps as a motion picture cameraman and from the 1950's till the 1970's, served in the U.S. Navy Reserves as an officer, retiring as a Navy Captain (Reserves) in the late 1970's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Ford#Military_service
Ford, like Ronald Reagan, spent the first half of his life as a Democrat, but later became a Republican and campaigned for Reagan both in 1980 and 1984. Ford and Reagan were good friends.