Daniel Baquilar - Father of Jordan Baquilar
My name is Daniel Seaford and I am a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard. My son, Jordan Baquilar, is heading off to college in the fall of 2010 and is really excited about his potential future in the workplace as a graphic arts designer. He has done well in his schoolwork and I'm sure will do well in whatever he sets his mind to. My goal is to help him any way I can in helping him achieve his educational advancement so that he can be a successful young man.
Let me start by telling you of my military background and what Jordan has had to endure through the last 6 years of our countries battle with freedom's enemies. My military career started in August of 1990, shortly after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. I enlisted and joined the 82nd Airborne Division right out of high school as a 17 year old boy. At the end of my enlistment on active duty in December 1993, I joined the SC Army National Guard. I have been there ever since and have 19 plus years of service. I was deployed to Iraq in February of 2003 in the war on terrorism and returned home in April or 2004 back to my job as a police officer in my home county of York, SC. I again was deployed in February of 2007 to Afghanistan where I served until June of 2008 in our war against the Taliban. There we were responsible for training the Afghanistan Army and police forces. I was also injured in an accident during that tour where I damaged my shoulders and am now a disabled veteran. I could not be prouder of my service and my patriotic family is also very proud of my service to this country.
This service I have given in our fight against terror has not come without a sacrifice from my family. My wife, Nicole, had the burden of being mom and dad for our three kids and this also forced Jordan to be the male in the house that was responsible for the duties that would normally be done by me. Jordan had to grow up quickly and become a young man faster in my absence. Jordan took his extra responsibilities in stride and still preformed well at school and home while I was deployed to these other countries. My being gone for long periods was also hard on Nicole and Jordan was there to help her in whatever she needed done. Also, Jordan helped the rest of the family in coping with the fact that I was at war. I am very proud of what he was able to accomplish during this time and that fact that he was able to continue to do so well in school was astounding to me.
Jordan has an incredible gift for drawing and has a very artistic mind. He has done numerous projects with his art and his work has been put in many art displays and in publications. For Jordan to not be able to pursue his dream of artistic design would be a shame. In today's dreary economic times, it is very difficult to pay for college. Like I said before, I am a police officer in my everyday job when I haven't been deployed and my income makes it hard for me to help facilitate his continued education. Jordan is the oldest of three children and my wife and I are also trying to save money for the other kids as well for their college education. Jordan has worked diligently on his schoolwork throughout his high school years to attempt to be able to apply to good schools that would help him in furthering his educational goals. Jordan has watched how hard life can be for families without a degree. My wife and I do the best we can and have raised our kids well, but Jordan has seen our financial struggles. He also understands that in the future of the workplace, the degree will be very important in obtaining a good job. This drives him to push for his degree. He understands that the extra education will allow him to have a better life and that he will better be able to financially support his future family.
I believe Jordan has learned quite a bit from my military service. He has seen that hard work and dedication to a cause can help you succeed in whatever you do. He has witnessed my successes and failures and I think understands that hard work and loyalty to a job will help you become more successful and will help you to get into those leadership roles. Jordan's goal as well as mine is for him to complete his four year degree so that he can contribute successfully in the workplace and that he can provide comfortably for himself and his family. I feel confident that he will accomplish his goals and look forward to witnessing his future successes.
