A former 82nd Airborne soldier will be honored July 2 with the presentation of a distinguished Department of Justice award for his actions in Iraq.

Sgt. Joey Ford of Gulfport, now a member of Mississippi National Guard’s 155th Infantry unit in Biloxi, will be presented the award during a ceremony at the 890th Engineer Battalion armory in Gulfport.

Ford was one of three soldiers wounded in Tikrit in April 2007 while providing security for a rule of law mission. The soldiers were assigned to officers who were organizing case files of the eventual opening of a major crimes court in Tikrit.