A current CHS student has volunteered to interview a 2024 CHS Hall of Honor inductee about his/her thoughts coming back to CHS on April 26.
If you would like to attend the community luncheon, you can either contact Deb Deters at debra.deters@csdkq.org, call Deb at 563-243-7540, ext 7022, or order electronically at https://clintonia.infinitecampus.org/campus/store/clinton
George Nord
2024 CHS Hall of Honor Inductee
Distinguished Military Service
By Aiden Adkins
George Nord is a 1953 graduate of Clinton High School with a resounding list of accomplishments. Nord was a career Army Ranger who served his country for thirty years. During his time in the military, he earned the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Legion of Merit. Additionally, Nord also received the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. However, Nord’s story of how he acquired the famed Silver Star is a tale of extraordinary heroism, courage, and bravery.
Nord was serving in the 38th Ranger Battalion as Light Weapons Infantry Advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. His battalion encountered intense hostile fire, and Nord remained at the foremost points of contact to direct and control the supporting fires of the armored personnel carriers and armed helicopters. When Nord realized one of his vehicles was disabled, he charged to within fifty meters of the Vietcong line and directed airstrikes as close as four feet from his position. During all of this, Nord was informed that the other American advisor was brutally wounded and lying close to enemy positions, completely exposed. Despite the odds stacked against him, Nord bravely dashed towards the advisor where he arranged for a medical evacuation, all while continuing to direct Ranger assaults until the area was completely cleared, and the insurgents were routed. For his acts of heroism, George Nord has been formally nominated in the area of Distinguished Military Service.
Due to such a long list of honors and heroic stories, it is only natural that Nord would be applauded. During Nord’s time at Clinton High, he met his future wife Nancy Ellen Benson Nord. He also fondly remembers the times he spent on the athletic field, and on the wrestling mats. When asked what motives drove him to the point he’s at today, Nord declared, “Providing the best that I could for my family. Taking pride in my work, never ever giving up and standing up for my friends and family.” Nord also takes pride in his life as a whole. He very humbly acknowledges his time in some of the “...most decorated units in the US Army…”. These being the 82nd Airborne Division, Ranger School, as well as, “Leading and advising Vietnamese Ranger company in combat during the Tet Offensive and surviving.” When asked for advice to the upcoming leaders from Clinton High, Nord stated, “Have a plan and have flexibility. Life has a way of changing the best made plan.” As previously noted, Nord is a man of extraordinary accomplishment. When asked what his biggest accomplishments were, Nord said, “Raising a family, graduating from Command Sergeant Majors Academy, and retiring after thirty years of service from the US Army as a Command Sergeant Major (E-9).”