Colonel John M. Ford was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School 16 January 1943, class number 153. His first duty assignment was as Platoon Leader, Battalion Adjutant, 5th Regiment IRTC, Camp Wheeler, Georgia. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Regimental Adjutant, 83d Regiment Camp Robinson, Arkansas; Student, Inf Off Adv Course; Asst G1, Base X, AFWES Pac, Fort Benning, GA; Director of Personnel, WD Personnel Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey; Director of Training, Alabama Military District; Regimental Adjutant, 4th Const Regiment, Austria; S1, Troop Command, Austria; Adjutant General, Tactical Command, Austria; Chief National Guard Unit, Reserve Branch, The Adjutant General’s Office; Chief, Military Personnel and Military Member, Office Secretary of Defense; Continuity of Government Committee, Officer in Charge (OSD) Operation Alert, Office Secretary of Defense; Student, AG Officer Advanced Course, USAAGS, Fort Harrison, Indiana; Chief, Mobile Training Team (P&A), MAAG China, Taipei, Taiwan; Senior Advisor (P&A) Ministry of National Defense Republic of China, MAAG China, Taipei, Taiwan; Advised Secretary of General Staff (Vice Admiral Wang) Dep Chief of Staff, Personnel (LTGEN Mao and Dep Chief of Staff, Administration (LTGEN Soong) Chairman, Embassy Community Relations Committee (Joint Chinese/American); Chief, Secretariat, DA Section Boards, Department of the Army; Director of Administration, U.S. Civil Administration; Executive Officer, Chairman, Ryukyu Development Loan Corp, Ryukyu Water Development Corp, Chairman, PreTreaty Claims Commission, Ryukyu Islands; Assistant Commandant, Director of Instruction, U.S. Army AG School, Fort Harrision, Indiana. | Colonel Ford's awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, DOD Identification Badge.