BY REGGIE SHEFFIELD
Correspondent
Robert H. Jordan of Franklin Twp., a veteran of both World War II and the Korean Conflict, turns 100 years old this week.
On Saturday, family, friends and well wishers threw a party for him at the Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church, celebrating and reflecting on his 24 years of military service with the United States Marine Corps, his 72-year marriage to his wife, Evelyn, his 30 great grandchildren, and the large and wide impact he has had on his community.
“I’m extremely proud. I’m proud that he’s in as good of health as he is,” said Jordan’s eldest daughter, now Marcia Perkins, as she stood watch over steaming platters of chicken and pork and sides of macaroni and cheese and fruit.
Rich Ely, the director of the Susquehanna County office of Veteran’s Affairs, read a proclamation by the county commissioners to the audience of about 60.
The proclamation noted that “longevity of life is a blessing for an individual and for a community which benefits from the knowledge, creativity and experiences this individual brings to all.”
The proclamation also recognized Jordan’s military service, his building of the Spring Valley Campground and his 12 years of service as a township supervisor.
The proclamation also honored Jordan for his “long life and prosperity” and wished him “many more years to come.”
“I thank you all and I certainly do appreciate it,” Jordan said to the crowd after they had sung him their happy birthday wishes and, of course, the Marine Corps Hymn.
“I have a Marine Corps flag I fly 24 hours a day,” Jordan said.
Born August 23, 1918, in North Adams, Massachusetts, Jordan came to Susquehanna County with his family on April 1, 1963, traveling from U.S. Marine Corps Camp LeJune in North Carolina after he retired.
Jordan, a father of five, grandfather to 12 and great great grandfather of one, originally came to Susquehanna County because his wife’s sister, Greta, lived in Montrose and knew of property for sale which later became the Spring Valley Campground.
Raised in an orphanage in Massachusetts after his father – a veterinarian – died when he was 5, in 1939 Jordan found himself without a job in Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard after he and his brother, Russell, were rejected by the Merchant Marines because they did not have union cards.
Walking down the street, Jordan saw a sign: “See the World: Join The Marines.” And that’s exactly what he did. Jordan was inducted into the United States Marine Corps in 1939.
Thus began a life journey in the military which took him from Quantico, Virginia, and Camp LeJune to Puerto Rico, Cuba, British Samoa (landing there on Mother’s Day 1942), New Britain, New Guinea where he served with Australian allies, Peleliu Island (where he was wounded on September 14, 1944) and then later Korea and Japan and then finally Susquehanna County.
During his service he filled numerous roles, including a machine gun instructor, a Navy Corpsman instructor and a tank instructor with the 1st Tank Battalion.
Decorations Jordan earned during his service include the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, the South Pacific Campaign Ribbon with three stars for New Britain, New Guinea and Peleliu; the World War II Victory Medal; a Korean Campaign ribbon with two stars, and the United Nations Ribbon.
But Perkins, who described her childhood as “good” and “happy,” said the biggest award her father has earned over and over is for being a loving father to her and her four siblings and a loving and faithful husband to the former Evelyn Hjelm of Barre, Massachusetts.
“My Dad was always a family man. His family always came first. Those are the memories I have,” Perkins said.
“He never yelled at us. He was always kind of gentle. All he had to do was look,” she said.
In turn, her father gives all the credit available to Evelyn.
“She did an outstanding job trying to raise them while I was gone all the time,” told his audience.
Asked what advice he would give to someone considering a career in the military, Jordan said: “If you are not able to receive and act on instructions and do it willingly, don’t ever head to the military.”
None of Jordan’s children followed him into the Marine Corps. His youngest son, David, served on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. America from June 1972 to June 1975 during the Vietnam War,
“The time that I went into the service I wanted to go into the Marine Corps simply because he retired from the Marine Corps, I thought it was the place to be,” David said.
Instead, David, now 65, ended up as an E-4 Bosun’s Mate fueling up A-6 Intruders and A-7 Corsairs. Why didn’t he end up in the Marine Corps?
“Because Vietnam was going on, he asked me not to. He asked me to go either Air Force or Navy because you had a hell of a lot better chance of coming home that way. So I chose the Navy,” David said.
Did he ever expect to attend his father’s 100th birthday celebration?
“Of course I did because he always said he’s going to be 102. He wanted to make it to 2020,” David said.
“His attitude has gotten him this far. Up until a couple of years ago, somebody would ask him how old he was, he’d say, ‘I’m just halfway to old. Ninety-seven, ninety-eight,’ ” David said.
Fantastic story of a smart truly good man. Wish I had been a neighbor . I’m from Susquehanna co.too.