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DOWLING PARK — Dowling Park native Charley Ford was a town hero and recipient of two Silver Star Medals.

Ford was the 12th child of 15 to Reverend Sidney and Alice Ford, growing up on a 43-acre family farm in Dowling Park.

“He was always the astute person in the family,” said Robert Ford, Charley’s younger brother. “He was probably the smartest in the family.”

Robert said Charley was the class president at Douglass High School and was a gifted speaker. He graduated Douglass High School with honors in 1962 and followed his three older siblings by enlisting in the U.S. Army.

“In our family, there were no opportunities so when you turned 18, my brothers entered into the military,” Robert said.

He described it as a family tradition.

“Growing up, the military was always esteemed to me,” Robert said.

Robert said he saw the difference in how the white people treated his brothers when they came home in uniform.

Charley enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Signal Corpsman but progressed quickly through the ranks and was promoted to Sergeant before being nominated for Officer Candidate School.

He was he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant Infantry Officer in April 1966, at the age of 21.

Charley went on to complete Basic Airborne School and Special Forces (Green Beret) Training, before being deployed to Vietnam in January 1967. He was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group conducting counterinsurgency operations.

On Dec. 1967, he was awarded his first Silver Star Medal for distinguishing himself by exceptional valorous actions on Aug. 15, 1967.

According to the citation, Charley’s unit made contact with a reinforced Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army company during a patrol.

“Despite the intense enemy automatic weapons and small arms fire, Lieutenant Ford fearlessly led his men in an aggressive assault on the numerically superior insurgents,” the citation reads. “He personally eliminated one automatic weapon position while overrunning the hostile forces. He then immediately established a defensive perimeter on the top of the hill and called for air strikes on the regrouping insurgents.”

According to the citation, due to Charley’s leadership, his unit emerged from a six-hour battle without a single fatality.

Charley received his second Silver Star Medal on April 1, 1968 for his actions of Dec. 13-14, 1967. Charley was serving as a Special Forces Advisor to a Vietnamese Airborne Ranger Company on a search and destroy mission in enemy controlled territory.

According to the citation, the unit made contact with two platoons of North Vietnamese Army soldiers and Charley immediately deployed his troops and led a charge on the hostile forces.

The citation states that during the battle, Charley braved bullets to place deadly fire on he enemy soldiers and direct the assault.

“His troops began to run low on ammunition, and he called for a resupply helicopter,” the citation reads. “The ammunition supply dropped to the ground twenty-five meters outside the defensive perimeter. With bullets striking all around him, Lieutenant Ford fearlessly ran forward and helped recover the vitally needed ammunition for his beleaguered men.”

Robert said the family knew about the first Silver Star but never knew about the second one until a year ago when he requested his brother’s awards.

He added that he also never knew what Charley had done to earn the first Silver Star.

“I am so proud of him,” Robert said.

A complete list of Charley’s Military Citations and Awards: two Silver Star Medals (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, U.S. Army Air Medal (20 awards), U.S. Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (with two Bronze Service Stars), National Defense Medal, U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal, an Expert Infantry Badge, Combat Infantry Badge, U.S. Army Parachutist Badge, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation. Vietnamese Parachutist Badge, U.S. Army Aviator’s Badge and the Special Forces Tab.

When Charley returned from Vietnam in 1968, he was promoted to Captain and selected to command and Infantry Basic Training Company at Fort Benning, Ga.

He then attended the U.S. Army Aviation, Rotary Wing (Helicopter) Pilot’s Training.

Robert said this made Charley the first African American from Suwannee County to become a military pilot.

“While he was in Vietnam, I graduated from high school and joined the Army,” Robert said.

It was during Robert’s second tour in Vietnam that he was told his brother died during a combat training exercise at Fort Benning.

Charley was 25 years old.

“It was just like my world changed when he was killed,” Robert said.

Inspired by his brother, Robert strived to become an officer.

After eight years in the Army, he applied for a promotion to warrant officer.

A few years later, he applied for dual commission and was given the rank of Captain.

Robert served in the Army for 26 years.

Charley and his five brothers served a total of 99 years in the military.

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