Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, Ord graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in 1958.

He then worked as a Personnel Staff Officer for the headquarters of the United States Army Vietnam.

Later in the conflict, from 1972 to 1973, he worked as a Senior Adviser for the 41st Ranger Command and as Chief of Plans and Operations for Region IV.

In 2002, he was named Dean of the Naval Postgraduate School of International Graduate Studies (SIGS).

In August 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Ord to the American Battle Monuments Commission.