Ford and the Department of Defense reached an agreement that allows the company to donate 200,000 face shields to military bases in the U.S., including 30,000 to New York’s West Point base, and in other areas with U.S. deployed troops like Kuwait, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

Robert Parker

For UAW-Ford worker Robert Parker, a U.S. Army veteran of Desert Storm, this is an opportunity to serve in more ways than one. Parker is assembling face shields at Ford subsidiary Troy Design Manufacturing (TDM) and is one of the 700+ paid Ford, TDM and UAW volunteer workers building much-needed medical supplies for front-line responders, healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients. Robert’s son, John Parker, is an active Air Force Staff Sergeant B1 Bomber Crew Chief at one of the military bases receiving a portion of them this week.

The battle against COVID-19 hit close to home for Parker He has family members in the healthcare industry.  His pastor was on a ventilator for four weeks. His childhood friend and even his mailman contracted the virus. He stepped up to build face shields in the same way that he stepped up to join the Army decades ago.

“I was angry and wanted to do something about it, that’s why I volunteered,” said Parker. “Building equipment to help protect others is my way of fighting back. Now that we are shipping to military bases including where my son is stationed, it feels even more rewarding.”

Parker served in the military for four years until he was injured. For a year he worked at his father’s auto body repair shop. People would come in with one side of their car beat up and once he was finished, they’d say, “Hey, your side looks better than this one!” He got so good at fixing cars that he wanted to try building them.  Robert became a skilled tradesmen at Ford subsidiary TDM.  Now 28-years since making that move, he’s on the job 10-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week putting his skills to work to help military members in the the Middle East and America – like his son John Parker at the Ellsworth Air Force base in South Dakota – and front-line responders all across the U.S.

Operators and assemblers assemble medical face shields. Ford Motor Company, in cooperation with the UAW, will assemble more than 100,000 critically needed plastic face shields per week at a Ford manufacturing site to help medical professionals, factory workers and store clerks.

Ford began making face shields on March 23 and since then, Parker and his fellow volunteer workers have made over 18 million face shields, at about 1 every 10 seconds, and have shipped them to ALL 50 states.