The bond between father and son can be something magical, and that's certainly the case when it comes to Jerry and Jordan Windle.
Jerry adopted Jordan as a single gay man 21 years ago now, and has had the pleasure of watching his son grow up to be a U.S. Olympic athlete. The two speak on their journey and how the other enriched their life.
In fact, he'd wanted it for as long as he could remember. The chance came to him in 2000 when he was living in Florida as a retired Navy officer. He saw a story in a magazine and remembered something about his time in the military.
In a 2012 interview, he said, "Being a military officer, we did a lot of study in college of the Vietnam War. The atrocities that were committed in Cambodia during the Vietnam War struck a chord with me."
Not long after, he got some incredible news.
"They said that they wanted [Jordan] to be my son, and they thought that he would be the perfect match with me based on my home study and my personality. I saw his picture, and I immediately fell in love with him," he said.
He flew out not long after to meet Jordan, who was 18 months old. Upon seeing his new son, he said, "My heart just came up through my chest and into my throat."
Jordan struggled with various health issues, including malnourishment and scabies, and was living in a country that didn't speak his language. As he learned English, Jordan and Jerry communicated through sign language.
Jerry was already completely devoted to providing the best possible life to his son, now and forever.
He competed in this year's summer Olympics in Tokyo, coming in ninth place. At 22, he was the youngest diver to make it to the Olympic trials, then to the Olympics, and is the first Olympic diver of Cambodian descent.
Jordan took up diving at seven years old by complete chance while at summer camp, but loved it so much he stuck with it.
In an interview with Today, Jordan said how much he missed his dad at the Olympic competition, where guests were barred due to COVID-19 restrictions.
"I can usually hear [my dad] out of everyone in the audience, which is awesome. I wish he was there, but that doesn't really change what I'm going there to do: to have fun, show off a little bit and put on a show for everyone. That's going to be my intention and I'm hopefully going to make him proud."
Not only has Jerry supported his son and become his number one fan, but the two have even written a children's book together about Jordan's story titled An Orphan No More: The True Story of a Boy. Jordan is an open LGBTQ+ ally and has done advocate work alongside his father.
But Jerry never wants to overstep his son's accomplishments, saying, "I am Jordan's dad. One small piece of who I am is I'm a gay man. That sometimes trumps what the real story is — of what an athlete's accomplishments are."
"I tell everyone, when they ask me why I dive, I dive purely for my dad and how much he loves watching me," said Jordan. "Without him making all the sacrifices that he has, and his love and support the whole time we've been together, I really wouldn't be where I am today. I have him to thank for everything, all my accomplishments. It's been an amazing journey with him, and we're still rolling."
h/t: People
