Purple Heart winner honored with bridge naming

Jun. 30—MOUNT CARBON — Family, friends and fellow veterans converged just outside of Montgomery Saturday morning to honor the life of one of their own.

The Armstrong Creek Bridge on Rte. 61 has been officially renamed the U.S. Army PFC Billy Keith Ford Memorial Bridge by the Division of Highways, and a special ceremony was staged Saturday to hear about Ford's life and service and to unveil the sign that is now visible to motorists. The name change was made possible by Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, whose primary sponsor was Sen. Stephen Baldwin, D-10. Baldwin was joined in sponsorship by Senators Glenn Jeffries, Richard Lindsay and Ron Stollings.

According to SCR 1, Ford was born on Sept. 28, 1945 in Boomer to Henry and Juanita Kilburn Ford, into a family of four boys and five girls.

Ford entered the United States Army in 1967 and was deployed to Vietnam on Dec. 23, 1967, at the rank of Private First Class. He was originally assigned to the Fifth Battalion, Seventh Calvary, as a new battalion of the First Air Cavalry in 1966. As part of the battalion, he was stationed in Thua Thien Province, an area of exceptionally heavy fighting during that time, with more U.S. casualties than in any other province of Vietnam, the resolution read in part.

PFC Ford and his unit participated in a massive offensive, Operation Pegasus, in April 1968. In it, they liberated ground troops who had been under siege for 78 days and seized tons of enemy supplies and equipment. Later, Ford and the "5/7 Cav" interdicted enemy movements to the south and held a dominant position in the A Shau Valley, hindering the enemy's efforts at retreat and reinforcement.

Ford's company came under fire on April 28, 1968, and he was killed in the engagement.

During his time in service, Ford received the Army Combat Infantryman Badge, Marksmanship Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, the Army Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and the Purple Heart Medal.

His sister, Novagene Lowery, was among those in attendance Saturday to honor her brother's memory. She was 11 years old when he was killed in action.

"The day that it happened, Sgt. Prescott, I remember the guy just as plain as it was yesterday," she said Saturday. "They came and talked to us, and I was outside in the yard playing (and he asked her) is your mom and dad home? And I said, 'No, sir.' And I said, 'I know why you're here.'"

He asked again if the parents were home. "No, they're at the grocery store," was her reply. "He went to Montgomery to see my mom and dad. And I knew that he (her brother) was gone."

"Maybe a week later, they brought his body to B.C. Hooper's in Montgomery," Lowery recalled. "We wasn't allowed to touch him. They had glass over the casket.

"And then we had the service at Mount Carbon Community Church. And for every family member, there was an Army guy. And then we went to the cemetery." The service was on Sunday, May 12, 1968, and Ford was laid to rest in Montgomery Memorial Park in London.

She has fond memories of her brother. "He was awesome. He was always smiling, happy-go-lucky. I mean, he was just an awesome brother."

As a boy, Billy Keith Ford spent his time helping in local gardens near the family home and, when they were not in the gardens, the family enjoyed camping in West Virginia state parks.

His passing in the line of duty to his country obviously left a void for the family, even now. "It's been hard," Lowery said. "I have a lot of memories. Like, today has really been a hard day. I drove in from Tennessee last night."

"It's just wonderful to see his name on a sign," she said, her voice catching with emotion.

A friend from back in the day, Bill Lively, helped coordinate Saturday's service. "We came to back the family, and let them know that we care," said Lively, a member of VFW Post 8363, of Chesapeake, who was joined by fellow post members and other veterans to support the memory of their fallen brother. "We just growed up together. Really good friends. A good guy."

Alyssa Groth, a former ROTC student from George Washington High, researched a project on Ford during her senior year. It arose from a class project led by her teacher, Sgt. Norman, which was geared toward soldiers who perished in action in the Vietnam War.

"We wouldn't have the freedoms that we have now without having people that died to protect our country," said Groth. "People gave up everything just so their families and people they've never met were able to have the life they have today."

"It's been a long road," said Sen. Baldwin. "It has taken us a couple years to get to this point. I'm glad that we're finally able to honor your brother here today."

"Scripture tells us there's no greater love than to lay down one's own life for your friends," Baldwin, a pastor, said. "How much greater love is there to lay down your life for somebody you're never going to meet, you're never going to know? And that's what Billy did for each and every one of us."

Referencing a song performed by Tracy Rothwell earlier in the ceremony, Baldwin said, "Billy Keith Ford is more than a name on a bridge sign. Every single time folks pass by this bridge, they'll know his name, they'll remember his sacrifice, they'll ask folks who he was and what he did, and in so doing he will be much more than a name. He will be a positive, shining bright light, a beacon of hope for the future of this community and this nation."

He thanked Ford's family for its sacrifices, as well.

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