Medal of Honor recipient to kick-off Johnsonville statue rally

Vietnam veteran and medal of honor recipient will help kick off fundraising efforts at an upcoming rally for a Johnsonville statue.

According to a release issued Aug. 29, retired Marine Maj. Gen. James Livingston of Mount Pleasant, SC will help kick off the “Rally at the River Swamp Fox Run” at Venters Landing on Highway 41/51 just outside Johnsonville Sept. 25. The event is part of ongoing efforts to help raise funds to bring a statue of Revolutionary War Gen. Francis Marion to the landing. The rally is scheduled to take place Sept. 25 starting at 10 a.m.

Maj. Gen. Livingston received his Medal of Honor commendation as a result of action taken during the spring of 1968 when he destroyed two bunkers behind enemy lines while wounded, killing 14 North Vietnamese, some in hand-to-hand combat.

The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military award. More than 3,400 have been awarded, about 60 percent posthumously. The release also said Livingston recently wrote about his experiences in his memoir, Noble Warrior.

Other festivities during the rally include presentation of the colors by the Johnsonville High School ROTC prior to welcoming remarks by Livingston.

Marshall’s Marine will offer free pontoon boat rides on the Lynches River and local outfitters Swamp Fox River Rentals and River Rats Outfitters will also be on hand to tell about canoe and kayak trip opportunities down the Lynches River, the release said. Local artisans such as blacksmith Dale Smith, knife maker Meck Hartfield, and others will display their wares for attendees to purchase.

Five-by-seven and eight-by-ten matted photographs of the trestle reflected in Lynches River by Johnsonville native Stephen Gaskins will also be available for sale, as will event t-shirts, statue t-shirts and special-edition patches commemorating the event, according to the release. 

Other events include the selling of raffle tickets for an opportunity to win gift certificates from local businesses such as the Tackle Box, the Shady Rest Restaurant, and the Wellman golf club. There will also be a “50-50” drawing, the release said. Local face-painter and jewelry-maker Katie Edgeworth will be on hand to give kids patriotic and Native American face art and sell her hand-made jewelry.

The release said other activities are still being finalized, including events for kids and educational collaborations between educators and event planners to provide special opportunities for students of history and art in the schools at the event.

American Legion Riders (ALR) from the Hemingway area have pledged to be in attendance and other ALR members from across the state are also being encouraged to attend by the Hemingway group and other ALR supporters of the event, the release said.

Revolutionary War re-enactors and members of the local Chaloklawa Chickasaw Native American tribe to set up camps complete with tents, teepees and other items from the era, according to the release.

A full-sized cannon replica will be shot several times throughout the day’s activities as well, the release said.

Barbeque and pilau plates and beverages will be sold beginning at 11 a.m. on site to help raise money for the Francis Marion Statue and Veterans’ Park Project, as well as baked goods available for purchase from Johnsonville school groups, according to the release.

At noon, the release said, there will be presentations by Dr. Louis Venters of Hemingway and Dr. Joe Stukes of Florence, historians from Francis Marion University, who will on Revolutionary War hero General Francis Marion receiving his commission to lead the local militia on the very banks of the Lynches River where the statue bearing his name will be erected in early 2011. The “Swamp Fox” will come to life around 12:30 p.m., the release said, when Stukes will portray General Francis Marion telling the tales of his many guerilla tactics in Johnsonville’s swamps and rivers.

A special recognition of local veterans will take place at 1 p.m. Among those to be honored is Johnsonville’s oldest living veteran, 97-year-old Perry Emery of the Vox Community, according to the release. All area veterans are encouraged to attend and be recognized in this ceremony.

For more information on the event or the Francis Marion Statue and Veterans Park project, call 843.386.2069.The “Rally at the River Swamp Fox Run” to become an annual event to honor veterans and to celebrate the historical significance of the Johnsonville area with regard to Revolutionary Way hero General Francis Marion, the release said.