Noel Amberson Jordan

Noel Amberson Jordan passed from this life on October 14, 2024 in Fayetteville North Carolina of an unexpected illness. Noel was beginning his 16th year as an officer of the U.S. Army. He had attained the rank of Major, and, seven years ago, had become a Green Beret. His current work was in the Special Warfare Training Command.

He was a 2010 graduate of the U.S Army’s Ranger School, and earlier, of the U.S. Army Airborne School. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and served as an Infantry platoon leader. He deployed again in 2013, and that was cut short to begin the work to become a Green Beret in its extraordinary “Q course.”

Noel was born April 16, 1987 in Birmingham. He was baptized and confirmed at All Saints Episcopal Church, where folks like Ginny May and Win Schepps taught him as a child much of the faith he carried with him through life.

He was a 2005 graduate of Mountain Brook High School, and a 2009 cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama with a major in Philosophy. At Alabama he “walked on” to ROTC, earned a full scholarship, and became the cadet battalion commander.

As a Green Beret, he became proficient in the Korean language. He was deployed as part 1st Group to Okinawa in 2016 to 2018. As a Captain there, he headed an ODA team, and led Army training exercises for soldiers in Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. On return, after time at Fort Polk in Louisiana, he studied for two academic years at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey California, before being assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina with other Green Berets.

Noel was not only a soldier. He was also the jokester of his family. He had an exceptional ability to make people laugh - especially his mother and father (and he knew and enjoyed that connection).

Noel is survived by his mother Shannon, his father Bert as well as his brothers, Brannon and Morgan (and sister-in-law Mira and three beautiful young nieces he loved). And lots of cousins. The family owes extra special thanks to Bert’s physician brother, Will who collaborated with local doctors in the last days, and to Noel’s dear friend, Liz Hunter. Also, Father Bryan Jerabek was available when needed, and the family is most grateful.

There is a funeral on Saturday, October 26 in Birmingham at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Paul. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., and the service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at Alabama National Cemetery on Monday, October 28 at 10:15 a.m.