Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jayson Debord of Mustang holds his Joint Service Commendation Medal proudly, although he can't talk about the mission that led to the honor.
“It's still classified,” he said. “I won't be able to talk about it for 20 years.”
Debord received the honor in recognition of a “high priority combat mission” during his recent deployment to Iraq. He said he intended to re-enlist this month after eight years in the Navy.
Debord is the son of Teresa and Dale Debord of Union City. When he graduated from Union City High School in 2001, he went to Western Oklahoma State College in Altus on a baseball scholarship. After finishing one semester, he left the school with a 3.8 grade point average and decided college wasn't for him. He said he had considered joining the Navy while he was in high school, and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon pushed him toward a decision.
He enlisted on Jan. 4, 2002, and trained as a master of arms, which he described as the Navy's police force. In July 2002, Debord departed for his first deployment at Souda Bay, Greece, where he served until September 2003.
He said being in Souda Bay changed his life and his views on the world. It was the first time Debord had encountered a different culture from his own.
“Plenty of time to have fun ... I don't know if it was because I was new, and I hadn't been anywhere,” he said.
Debord then went to San Diego for training and joined Mobile Security Squadron 7 based out of Guam. He was stationed in Guam from January 2004 through January 2007 and was sent on missions in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, New Caledonia, Philippines and Bahrain.
In 2007, he was reassigned to the VQ-4 aircraft squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, and Debord said he was glad to be closer to his family. In August 2008, he married his wife Amanda and adopted a stepdaughter, Lexi, who is now age 7.
Two months later, Debord received individual assignment orders to Iraq. He left for training last January and arrived in Iraq on March 18.
“Just in Iraq, I can't give specifics,” he said.
Now that he has a family of his own, Debord said he found being away from home was much more difficult, although he could stay in contact with e-mail and phone calls.
“Not being able to see her (his stepdaughter Lexi), constant contact with her, it was tough,” he said.
Debord returned home Nov. 24. He said he hopes to be able to spend more time with family this year, because he isn't eligible for deployment. Debord said expects to be connected to the Strategic Communications Wing One unit out of Tinker for the next four years.