The Good Life – July-August 2020

LOCAL HERO | JASON HICKS
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."
40 / THE GOOD LIFE
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.
“You get a little burnt out sometimes and you have to find
other ways to focus," Hicks says.