North Augusta Post 71 salutes vets, those who 'have the watch'
Nov. 11—NORTH AUGUSTA — One of North Augusta's most prominent new residents shared from decades of military memories Thursday, speaking at American Legion Post 71′s annual Veterans Day gathering.
Army veteran Jim Clifford, North Augusta's city administrator, is known to some local residents as a former leader at Fort Gordon, having been the installation's garrison commander from 2018 to 2020. He retired as a colonel and stepped into his current role in August 2020.
"I've had no greater privilege than to have commanded in the finest military the world's ever known — the most resilient, the most courageous force that I've seen in my previous 26 years of service," he said, addressing an assembly that included his wife, Hannah Clifford, and their children, Abigail and Jimmy, with a light rainfall through much of the event.
"I recently had the honor of retiring a U.S. Navy master chief petty officer and former teammate of mine from 20-plus years of service doing great work that will remain classified for the foreseeable future. As the master chief was piped off for the last time, his relief reassured him that he had the watch. I want all my fellow veterans here to know that those currently serving have the watch in Korea, the far reaches of the Pacific, the Middle East, eastern Europe and here at home when needed," Clifford said.
"Lastly, we remember not only our brave veterans' sacrifice, but also the sacrifices of the families have paid while their loved ones are off to far-off places. With grace and resilience, these military families endure the absence of loved ones, and shoulder the burdens of long deployments, painful separations and moves across the country and overseas. Thank you for your sacrifices, family members."
Among the spectators was Isaiah Walker, an Army veteran who went to Vietnam in 1967 and was in the military through 1980. "It's getting better," he said, referring to the situation that veterans tend to face when completing their years of duty.
Walker said veterans returning from Vietnam were treated "like we'd never been nowhere," or "like dirt," but vets are now recognized much more positively. His post-military years, he said, included work at the Savannah River Site.
Thursday's assembly, as is customary, also included a reading of the names of Post 71 members who have died since the most recent Veterans Day. The list, in chronological order, included William Watkins, Carl Brindle, William Dyches, George Hensley, Don Montgomery, James Minyard, George Odell, Thomas Stribling, Norbert Jasin and Charles Green.
Completing the list were Van Williams Jr., Les Gotschall, Raymond Morris, Charles Smith, Michael Redmon, Patrick Sizemore, Cobie Williams and Lee Thompson.
