Army Sgt. Joseph A. Ford

Died May 10, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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23, of Knox, Ind.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana National Guard, New Albany, Ind.; died May 10 in Al Asad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.

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Ind. guardsman dies in Iraq vehicle accident

The Associated Press

KNOX, Ind. — An Indiana National Guard member who lived in New Albany died of injuries he suffered in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

Joseph A. Ford, 23, who was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant, was remembered in his hometown of Knox as a determined, intelligent young man.

“He was a very bright, inquisitive student,” Knox High School teacher Terrill Hahn said. “He was a lot of fun.”

Ford, a 2003 graduate of Knox High School, died Saturday during operations near Al Asad. He had been deployed to the country since March with his Guard unit, the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

He was described as a happy teen who loved history and was quick with his hands on the school’s fencing team. He also was quick to share with his fellow students.

“We put on the ‘Three Musketeers’ one year, and he came in to help choreograph the sword-fighting scenes,” said Hahn, who teaches English and drama. “He was generous with his knowledge.”

While serving in the Guard, Ford also was working toward a degree in history at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.

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Spc. Joseph A. Ford remembered

The Associated Press

The past intrigued Joseph A. Ford. In high school, he was a member of the fencing club. He choreographed the sword fights in the school’s production of “The Three Musketeers.” He went to Renaissance fairs dressed as a Roman.

“He was always bringing up Roman mythology and seeing links with what’s going on today,” said Terrill Hahn, Ford’s high school English teacher. “He was very bright, he really was.”

Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind., was killed May 10 in Asad in a vehicle accident. He was a 2003 high school graduate, was attending the University of Southern Indiana as a history major, and was assigned to New Albany, Ind.

“He was a very bright, inquisitive student,” Hahn said. “He was a lot of fun.”

He wanted to serve his country so badly that he endured intense runs to drop nearly 70 pounds in a summer.

“He’d been running,” said Peggy Shidaker, Ford’s French teacher, whom he visited last year. “He had a goal, and it was great to see. He looked great. He said, ‘I’m getting ready,’ and I wished him well.”

He is survived by his wife, Karen.