U.S. Air Force four-star general to speak at Florence Veterans Day ceremony

From a barefooted country-boy living in Aiken, South Carolina, to one of the most highly decorated veterans in Washington D.C., Gen. Hansford “H.T.” Johnson always knew the Air Force was his calling.

The retired four-star general and former secretary of the Navy will be in Florence on Wednesday as the keynote speaker for a Veterans Day ceremony and Air Force monument dedication at the Florence Veterans Park on Woody Jones Boulevard.

Johnson was the first graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to achieve the rank of general. In 2003 he was appointed by the President George W. Bush as acting secretary on the Navy, becoming the only Air Force veteran to hold that post.

"Not only does Gen. Johnson have a top military rank, he is one of the most heavily credentialed, highly decorated people to ever visit Florence,” said Col. Barry Wingard, chairman of the Florence Veterans Park Committee. “He is an American hero and a really nice guy."

Johnson volunteered for duty in Vietnam, and throughout hundreds missions as a USAF Command pilot has logged 7,800 flying hours, about 1,500 of which were flown under active combat conditions.

Johnson said speaking in Florence for Veterans Day is an honor but being a decorated veteran came through the service of others, not him alone.

“I always knew I would make a career out of the Air Force, but early on I never thought about making four stars or anything like that,” Johnson said. “I just did my job and completed my mission. You meet a lot of people along the way who help you perform your mission that make these things possible.”

From 1990 to 1991, Johnson’s commands led all military and commercial aspects of the Desert Shield and Desert Storm movements of troops, equipment and supplies in the Persian Gulf.

“I didn’t particularly plan on any of this happening but I did my job and made the best of it,” Johnson said. “But Veterans Day isn’t all about guys like me; it’s about everyone that’s served their country.”

At the ceremony, a new monument will be dedicated to the men and women of the USAF. Also, a Boykin Spaniel sculpture – originally a part of the Home Safe monument, titled “Lady” – will be donated by sculptor Alex Palkovich.

Thirty-six names of Pee Dee veterans will be added to the park’s Wall of Honor this year, bringing to the total to 648.

"Having Gen. Johnson as our Veterans Day speaker is huge,” Wingard said. “I think South Carolina has produced only a few native sons who have earned the rank of four-star general."

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 9:08 PM with the headline "U.S. Air Force four-star general to speak at Florence Veterans Day ceremony."