By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
When U.S. Army Pfc. Jordan Williams was told to meet his mother at the Plant City Police Department on his way home Sept. 28, from Fort Bragg, N.C., he found it a bit strange. But he went along with her request.
Just two weeks before, Jordan had set his feet back on American soil after serving a tour in Afghanistan.
Jordan knew his mother, Sandi Williams, and family would be happy to see him. Little did he know the town of Plant City would be happy, too.
Upon arriving at the police department, Jordan received a police escort from the fire department, down Alexander Street, to his church, Victory Baptist Church, on South Baptist Church Road. Police officers stood along the streets and saluted the serviceman. People Jordan didn’t even know lined the streets with signs, yelling,
“Welcome home, Jordan,” and “Thank you,” at his caravan.
“It was a complete surprise,” Jordan says. “I was not expecting it.”
Sandi had invited friends and family to welcome Jordan home that day. But she had no idea it would explode into a crowd of about 200 people who gathered to celebrate his return.
“It just grew and grew,” Sandi says. “Neighbors would hear about it and ask if they could invite people. And people on Facebook saw it and just came.”
Even students and faculty from Plant City High School, Jordan’s alma mater, ran across the parking lot to greet the soldier as he passed.
When Jordan spotted his grandmother crying in the crowd, he stopped the entire caravan to go hug her.
“It meant the world to me,” he says about his welcome-home parade. “When you’re in Afghanistan, you think you’re doing it for not. But this was a big boost. It let me know people appreciated us.”
SURPRISE DEPLOYMENT
Jordan only had been enlisted in the Army for 10 months before being deployed to Afghanistan in February. After boot camp and airborne school, Jordan was supposed to be stationed in Germany. But the Army needed more men on the ground in dusty Afghanistan. He was sent to his permanent duty station in Fort Bragg to train for combat.
There, he was qualified on the M240 Bravo machine gun and learned how to drive military vehicles. Then, he was sent to the California desert for a mock deployment which he says was similar to the real thing.
Sandi still remembers the day she said good-bye to her son before he boarded a military aircraft for the Middle East. She sat in the car and watched as the soldiers were suited with their guns and equipment.
“It was very difficult,” Sandi remembers. “I realized my little boy was going to war.”
Sandi didn’t want to get out of the car after seeing children pulling on the pant legs of their parents who were going to war.
“I would have lost it,” Sandi says. “My heart hurts when I think about what I saw.”
DOING HIS DUTY
Jordan first joined the Army in April 2011. He was torn on which branch to join, because his father, Greg Williams, served in the U.S. Navy and another military role model served in the Marines. However, although he had difficulty deciding which uniform to wear, Jordan never wavered on his decision to serve in some capacity.
“I believe everyone should serve at least four years,” Jordan says. “I always used to dress as a soldier for Halloween and look through my dad’s scrapbook of him in the military, and that motivated me.
“I chose the Army because I thought the Army did cooler things,” Jordan says.
And Jordan has done a lot of “cool” things. As part of his training as a military police officer, Jordan went to airborne school, where he learned how to jump out of planes.
“It’s fun and scary,” Jordan says. “It’s probably one of the most nerve-wracking things — seeing the ground 800 feet below.”
In Afghanistan, Jordan also interacted with the locals.
“I was expecting to go over there and see explosions and guns,” Jordan says. “But we spent a lot of time helping people. For all the people who say we’re not doing anything over there, I’ve seen the good we’re doing in the community there.”
Jordan helped hand food out to children and push out insurgents threatening the civilians.
While in Afghanistan, Jordan earned a combat action badge. He engaged in combat a couple of times while working security detail for Col. Brian Mennis. As a gunner, he was responsible for locating any shooters.
“You’re training just kicks in,” Jordan says. “You don’t really get the shakes until after.”
RETURN FROM WAR
Jordan returned from Afghanistan Sept. 15. Before continuing to Fort Bragg, his plane stopped at a small Massachusetts airport, where he was greeted by complete strangers, ecstatic for his return.
“It was one of the best feelings in my life,” Jordan says about setting his feet on American soil.
His mother met him in North Carolina.
“The wheels touched down, and I thought, ‘Oh my God. He is home,’” Sandi remembers. “When Jordan came home from Afghanistan, I was just so happy and overwhelmed.”
Jordan marched down a red carpet with a traditional Army song playing in the air.
“My family has been a huge help,” Jordan says. “It definitely takes a strong family to support someone in the military.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
HOMETOWN HEROES
Hometown Heroes is a recurring feature in the Plant City Observer in which we profile veterans from Plant City. If you have a loved one currently serving or who has served in the past, please contact Managing Editor Michael Eng by email at meng@plantcityobserver.com or by phone at (813) 704-6850.