Following completion of his tour aboard MacKenzie, Ford was subsequently transferred to USS Henderson where he remained until the end of his second enlistment in 1967.

On 21 June 1968, GMG2 Ford was serving as the aft machine-gunner aboard PBR 750 as part of a two-boat patrol operating in the upper My Tho River near the town of Cái Bè.

As the PBR returned to the river with the captured sampan in tow, it was ambushed by a Viet Cong (VC) patrol that unleashed an overwhelming barrage of heavy machine-gunfire and rockets.

Two B-40 rockets struck Ford's boat, immediately killing the patrol leader, William E. Dennis, and Boatswain's Mate First Class Scott C. Delph.

Even as the boat was hit by four additional rockets and after suffering serious injuries, Ford maintained a steady volume of return fire from his aft machine-gunner's station.

[2] Ford was laid down by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division, San Pedro, California on 11 July 1983.

The guided missile frigate completed her first deployment during a voyage to the Western Pacific and Middle East Force (17 August 1987 – 17 February 1988).

She alternated plane guard and "shotgun" duties for aircraft carriers Midway, Ranger, and Theodore Roosevelt during 34 continuous days of flight operations, and interdicted more than 90 merchant ships suspected of smuggling.

Along with the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, Ford deployed to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.

[5] Ford completed a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) deployment starting 4 May 2007 and returning home on 20 September 2007.