JASON HICKS

Original publish date:

May-June 2018

SELFLESS SERVICE IS THE MOTTO FOR JASON HICKS

www.yumpu.com/user/ thegoodlife

Where is he now?

The Good Life featured Army Veteran Jason Hicks as the May/June 2018 Local Hero.

In the past few years, the biggest change for Hicks has been that in his role as Commander of the United Patriotic Bodies of Fargo-Moorhead. He was part of the group effort that transitioned the organization to take over all funerals at the Fargo National Cemetery. Aside from that, he remains proud of his two kids who are currently serving in the MN National Guard.

Hicks continues to enjoy life in the country citing that there’s always something to do. His latest endeavor is raising chickens which he likes to joke qualifies him as a rancher.

WRITTEN BY: ALEXANDRA FLOERSCH PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA

Jason Hicks’ life motto is pretty simple: "If you take care of your people, they will take care of you.”

If you take care of your people, they will take care of you.

While his oldest brother is a prison guard, his sister runs a nursing program and his other brother is a fireman, the Clay County investigations and narcotics detective can’t pinpoint what drove him and his siblings into careers of service. After all, neither of their parents had. But that’s not the case when it comes to military service, where there’s a very visible link.

“Pretty much every male on my dad's side of the family – and my wife's side, for that matter – have all served. The only one who didn't was my brother, the fireman, because he had asthma," Hicks said.

In fact, the Glyndon native himself joined the Army immediately after high school at just 19 years old. And, as life would have it, that undeniable pride for his

country would rub off on his three children in the years to come.

His son, Hunter, 22, recently completed his Army contract while his 18-year-old daughter, Macie, just finished her advanced training for the Army National Guard combat medic school at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

"My daughter Macaila (Macie’s twin) would have signed up in a heartbeat, but she has some health problems,” he explained. “It really hurt her but she can serve in other ways.”

Army Experience Paved the Way In the Army, rules, structure and loyalty define your life.

"The one thing the military really nails into people is selfless service, guaranteeing you're not always going to like what you're doing, but you're going to do it anyway because the mission comes before yourself,” explained Ray Pizarro, having known Hicks for 21 years and serving overseas together. “And the mission is righteous.”

It was that mentality that Hicks led with as an infantryman and platoon sergeant during his deployments to Germany – where he was sent to the Persian Gulf War – and Bosnia for a peacekeeping mission in 2003.

"Jason never cared about his career more than he cared about his men," Pizarro said. "He put us before himself, meaning if bad news came down the pipe and he had to pick a couple of volunteers to go do something rotten, instead of picking two, he'd pick one and do it with them.”

It was that unique style of leadership that allowed Hicks to build both trust and rapport with his unit.

saying, 'What do you need me to do? I'll do it.' Because they knew he would suffer with them.”

Getting his first taste of leadership while serving his country molded Hicks into the person he is today – one who bleeds red, white and blue.

"I saw the best and worst of people. It's something that I learned from," he said. “Some people talk about how great other places are. But having seen first, second and thirdworld countries, there's no doubt that we're it. I will never apologize for being an American. And I never have."

Giving Back A story all too common among soldiers, Hicks admits to having had a difficult time adjusting when he first returned from overseas.

"That's probably one of the biggest reasons I focus on the veterans groups... I can relate," he said. "There's always something bigger than yourself – so many things we can do to make this better for everybody.”

Having been involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) since 1993, Hicks became one of the youngest commanders during his first term from 1998-2000, and later served a second term from 2010-2014.

Currently, he’s most active with the color guard, marching in parades, conducting flag presentations and teaching flag etiquette to kids. If it isn’t obvious at first sight, Pizarro says Hicks’ dedication shines through when honoring Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN – an organization that sends area veterans to their memorials in Washington D.C., free of charge.

“He’ll say, 'It's going to be super hot. We're on the runway but you're going to be in uniform and represent the VFW because the VFW represents these guys. I don't want to hear any shake and bake about how awful it's going to be. We're going to do it for the honor of these people,'" Pizarro explained. “And we’ll do it with a gracious heart.”

Respect is hard to come by but perhaps it’s the bond that only service members can attest to – the “brotherhood" as Hicks says – that makes it all worth it.

"It wouldn't matter if you're a Korean War veteran or a war on terrorism vet, you all have that (bond),” Hicks said. “For example, there's a guy at the Fargo VFW and he was with the 7th infantry regiment of the 3rd infantry division... so was I. So we salute each other with our motto. He's a Korean War vet and I'm – what? – a third of his age? It's really cool." Serving … with a Badge Hicks retired from Army in 2007 but he has continued serving in other ways. After graduating from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) with a degree in criminal justice, the veteran started his law enforcement career in Dilworth as a part-time patrolman. But it wasn’t long before he was hired at the West Fargo Police Department, where he scored a position as narcotics investigator after just a year in.

"That's something I had always wanted to do and it was just wild. That was at the height of the big meth push – when they were making meth and had meth labs everywhere,” he said. “We could literally work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There was always stuff to do.”

From small, marijuana paraphernalia arrests to a multipound methamphetamine busts, Hicks worked an endless amount of cases.

"The thing with drug work – and I say this to everybody – if you're doing it right, within about three years, you're burnt out and you don't want to do it anymore," he said.

When that time came, he applied at the Clay County Sheriff’s office as a patrolman and soon worked his way into an investigative position once again – one he has held for the past 10 years.

"I’ve worked cases from a simple burglary to homicide, sexual assault, home invasion – all this crazy stuff,” he said. "I've worked some really unusual cases.”

As with any job, the role of an investigative detective has its ups, downs and undeniable stressors.

For him, that usually means not only taking warranted time off work but also exercising.

"It helps clear your head,” he says. “Don't get me wrong, I'm not a marathon runner or anything. I like long walks and things like that – the same stuff I did in the Army, except I'm not carrying a rucksack and a rifle.”

At the end of the day, one recurring assumption still surprises Hicks.

“After people sit down and talk to me, they never believe that I'm a cop. It just makes me laugh," he said. "I'm about as normal of a person as there is. I don't have magic powers.”

Living “out in the sticks” with his wife, Peggy, of 27 years, is where Hicks finds solace outside of work, enjoying the livestock, peace and quiet. Be it hunting, fishing for “anything that bites” or relishing in Minnesota’s snowy winters, Hicks cherishes the great outdoors.

But what exactly defines “the good life”?

"Being able to wake up in a country that's free," Hicks said. "Just the everyday freedoms that we enjoy as Americans. Not everyone has it. The good life is being an American." •