Robert Mitchell Ford Full Narrative

Robert Mitchell Ford was born on July 25, 1920, in Pullman, Washington, the fourth of six children. The family lived in Asotin during Ford's childhood, but there is little record of his early years. He likely graduated from high school in 1938 before enrolling at Washington State College (WSC). He attended WSC for one year, from 1938 to 1939, as an English major, before returning back to Asotin. According to the 1940 census, he worked as a box setter at a local box factory prior to moving to Los Angeles. During the early years of World War II, he worked for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in L.A. as an aircraft worker. Ford did not begin his military service until 1944; he enlisted in the US Army on September 2. He was attached to Northern California's 184th Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 7th Infantry Division. The men of "Let's Go" 184th were a seasoned unit that had been deployed in unique battlefields in the Pacific. They participated in the invasion of the Philippines in October 1944, landing on the island of Leyte. The unit was eventually relieved in February 1945 in preparation for participation in the Battle of Okinawa. Ford and the rest of the men in the 184th landed on Okinawa in April 1945. On May 27, Ford was advancing upon a Japanese position and started to lay down suppressive fire with his Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), helping his platoon clear out the fortification. As the men regrouped in the position, Ford was shot by an enemy sniper, mortally wounding him. He left behind a wife, Mary D. Ford, and newborn daughter, Lorene Christine. He is interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.