FLORENCE — Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Rocky Gannon wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary when he spoke to the Wilson High School AFJROTC Honors Ground School on Monday at the school.
What he experienced, however, was an emotional turn of events.
Gannon lost his Distinguished Flying Cross medal on Veteran’s Day during the opening ceremonies for Florence’s Veterans Park.
Gannon earned the medal for heroism during the Vietnam War while flying a twin-engine DC3.
Since then, he’d made several attempts to find the medal, but has been unsuccessful.
He’d even had offers from strangers in the community to help him locate the missing medal.
“I don’t go out anywhere that somebody doesn’t say, ‘Did you find your medal yet?’” he said. “So it’s a very touching experience and it brings back memories of how great people really are ... they care.”
Gannon said he was overwhelmed by the show of support in the community and wanted to continue his work of giving back.
He regularly speaks with students at schools across the area and was scheduled to speak Monday to the group at Wilson High School.
Little did Gannon know that the group of four girls had purchased a replacement Flying Cross medal and drove to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter to pick it up.
The girls’ teacher presented Gannon with the new medal Monday, to which Gannon replied with a series of thank yous.
“He did do his job and he did it great. He deserves to have it,” student Marissa Bethel said.
Gannon said the effort, especially by young students, sincerely touched his heart.
“I’m almost 84,” he said. “I tear up a little more often, but this definitely today ... brought a tear to my eye.”
Gannon may not have his original Flying Cross back, but what he does have is the satisfaction of knowing just how many lives he’s touched and just how many people are willing to touch his life in return.
Gannon keeps a larger version of his Distinguished Flying Cross in a closet at home, but said the one he lost — which is about the size of a thumbnail — meant a lot to him. He said he will continue to search for his original medal because of the great sentimental value that it holds for him.
Gannon is among an exclusive group to have obtained a Distinguished Flying Cross medal, including Charles Lindbergh, George H.W. Bush, Amelia Earhart and Orville and Wilbur Wright.
— WBTW News13’s Mackenzie Taylor contributed to this report.
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