5 Guard retirees inducted into academy hall of fame
About 100 friends, family members and supporters gathered in the auditorium of the Arkansas Military Academy’s new General Instruction Building to see five retired members of the Arkansas Army National Guard inducted into the academy’s hall of fame Saturday morning at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock.
Brig. Gen. Richard Swan of Zachary, La., Brig. Gen. William Johnson Jr. of Pulaski County, Col. David “Bruce” Smith of Searcy, Col. Walter Jones of Little Rock and Col. Kim Kimmey of Uniontown all spent decades in the military and earned numerous awards and decorations.
On Saturday, the men also received Arkansas Exceptional Service medals and Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame medallions, among other decorations.
The five men join 64 others in the academy’s hall of fame. The academy was founded in 1957.
“I feel proud and honored to be a part of this select group of people,” Johnson told the crowd after being recognized Saturday.
The inductees told short stories and jokes about their time spent in the Guard but mostly reflected on the support of those around them at home and at the Guard who made their experiences positive ones.
“This is a chapter you will never forget,” Swan told some of the students in this year’s officer class.
In the end, Jones said, his heart’s desire was that through the ups and downs of his service that he changed something.
“I hope I made a difference,” he told the audience.
After the ceremony, Smith said some of the most rewarding experiences for him were working with “good people” at the Guard.
Smith was deployed to Iraq in 2008 as a battle captain for the Base Defense Operation Center at Victory Base Camp and said that his last few assignments before retiring in December were some of his favorites.
“You always have doubts, but you keep striving to do well,” he said. “Working with the soldiers was the best,” he added.
The relationships established with fellow soldiers and Guard members were irreplaceable, Swan said.
Swan was not deployed along with other Arkansas National Guard members during Desert Storm, but he said after the ceremony that he was devastated by that, even though he was able to remain with his family.
“You literally experience separation anxiety when they’re gone,” he said.
Swan, originally from Marked Tree, now lives and works in Zachary, La.
In his recognition speech, Kimmey expanded on the speeches of the four men who had spoken before him: “The only bad thing about being retired is that you don’t get to see these great people you grew up with every day.”