Harold Frank Ford Jr., ME 49, of Auburn, Ala., on April 29. Ford was a decorated soldier and WWII veteran. At age 20, Ford arrived in Gambsheim, France, with the U.S. Army to attack German troops weakened after the Battle of the Bulge. In 1945, Ford and 25 other men were captured as prisoners of war. His family was notified that he was missing in action and a possible casualty of war. He was held in a German camp for three months, during which time he lost 60 pounds, weighing just 110 pounds at 6’3″. Ford was honored for his service with the Purple Heart Medal, American Theater Service Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, European African Middle Eastern Service Ribbon, World War II Victory Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal and Crossed Rifles Badge. In 2011, U.S. Congressman Dennis A. Ross presented him with a WWII Ex-POW Medal in Brandon, Fla. After the war, Ford earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and worked for 30 years for steel supplier L.B. Foster Co., where he retired as executive vice president of the east region. He enjoyed golf, genealogy and historical road trips. In 2001, Ford wrote a book about his war experience, titled When Our Hearts Were Young and Free.
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