Wayman Johnson: Local veteran 'just the best' in service

Sep. 25—Service is a highly familiar concept for Vietnam veteran Wayman Johnson, whether halfway around the world or just around the corner.

The hospital volunteer, Knights of Columbus member and longtime Savannah River Site employee is known through a variety of roles around Aiken and Augusta, and Orangeburg is also part of the picture, as he is a member of the South Carolina State University ROTC Hall of Fame.

His university degree was in "physical chemistry, which also covered nuclear chemistry," he recalled.

"He's just a fine gentleman — reliable, honest and trustworthy," said Joan Lacombe, one of Johnson's fellow parishioners at St. Gerard Catholic Church. "Anything you would want in a gentleman, he has it."

Kelli Moore, a recreation therapist with Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Augusta, made similar comments. "He has been the best volunteer. Any time we need anything, he's right there, and I know that I can count on him for whatever our needs may be. One time it was a popcorn machine," she recalled.

Johnson has been on board at Augusta's "uptown" VA facility since November 2006. Pandemic-related restrictions have reduced activity options, so Johnson and his peers "have been consistently providing snacks, and whatever they can do, they do," Moore said.

Johnson and his wife, an Edgefield County native, met in college and wound up having an employer in common years later, as both worked at the massive nuclear reservation for decades.

Chester is another community with a claim to the Army vet. He was born there, and spent most of his childhood in Orangeburg, and Aiken has been his base of operations since 1975, when he launched into a 33-year career at the Savannah River Plant, as the nuclear reservation was known at the time.

"I had generally the same kind of title, but different positions," he recalled. "I started off at the K Reactor as a supervisor ... and I was told I was the first African American to be a certified supervisor of a reactor — K Reactor."

That line of work called on his Army background, he noted. "When I went to the interview, I let them know I had a little bit of radiation safety. I was a chemical officer part of my time in the military, and I was nuclear weapons-qualified, so we had a whole lot of training on the basic nuclear chemistry subject, and then the ... weapons."

He noted that his Army time also included service in what was then known as the North American Air Defense Command — NORAD. "I had responsibility for ... Oklahoma and north Texas, and whenever a bomber with nuclear weapons flew over, we'd get an alert and had a team in case they had an accident, to go survey the area, or mark out where the radiation may be."

By that point, he had reached the Army rank of captain, with leadership experience to his credit, and would go on to retire as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves.

The military years included two tours in Vietnam, with stops — of extremely varying length — along the way in such locales as Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines and Alaska.

"To put it in layman's terms, I was a scout, and to put it in the technical military term, I operated the personnel detector," he said, referring to airborne technology for picking up a human scent — that of enemy troops, in Johnson's case. "My job was to find out where they were located, and back in my day, they called that scouting."

Johnson's first experience with the technology was at ground level. It was "a poor idea," in his assessment, with such problems as wind shifts, and the decision was made to apply the technology at the tree line level.

His work area included the territory involved in "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," the 1992 book written in part by one of his military contemporaries: the late Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore and war journalist Joseph L. Galloway. The book, focusing on the Battle of Ia Drang (1965), was the inspiration for "We Were Soldiers," a 2002 movie starring Mel Gibson as Moore.

Johnson's tours were 1966-67 and 1969-70. "I did have a break to go to the U.S. Army Chemical Center and School. I stayed there to get the advanced training and also stayed there to be a course director and instructor," he recalled.

Among his memorabilia is 1967 letter from Sen. Strom Thurmond. It read, in part, "Just a note to congratulate you upon being awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service while serving in Vietnam. All of us in South Carolina are proud of you, and there is no greater work in which a man can engage than the defense of his Country."

The next few years included time in the Lone Star State. "When I was getting out, I looked around several places, and I got an offer with Johnson and Johnson, and also with Mobil Oil and DuPont, and ... my wife is originally from North Augusta, so DuPont was my first choice, but at the time, there was a hiring freeze, so I went ahead and accepted the job with Johnson and Johnson, in Texas."

Johnson worked as a supervisor in quality assurance, "and we did have a little nuclear process there, at Johnson and Johnson," he added. "That gave a little bit more experience. They actually used a nuclear source they called cobalt-60 to sterilize some of their hospital packs, but I was there for about one year. Then DuPont called me."

DuPont — at that time, the major contractor for the Savannah River Plant — no longer had a hiring freeze, and offered the Vietnam vet a job. "I told them that wouldn't be right, that I needed to stay at Johnson and Johnson. I stayed at Johnson and Johnson for a couple of years."

His wife, however, eventually ran into health problems, and all of her family members at the time were still in South Carolina, so the man of the house got back in touch with DuPont to check on job openings. He was enthusiastically welcomed.

"They paid my way to come here, from Texas, right at Christmastime, because I was coming back anyway. I got to DuPont, and they already had my security clearance ready when I got here," he said, with a chuckle. "I was real lucky there."

The lady of the house also secured a position at SRP, becoming a control room operator. "She worked at Pepperidge Farm for a number of years first," he said recalling her role as a technician in quality assurance, followed by a career shift in the 1980s as the nuclear reservation shifted from the hands of DuPont into those of Westinghouse.

"She spent 20 years out there," he recalled. "We retired on the same day. They offered a package, because I was already over 65. Joined Social Security and decided, well, it was a good time to go."

He went, and his attention largely shifted to a familiar area — military service and its aftermath. Johnson learned of opportunities to volunteer at hospitals serving veterans, and has won recognition over the years for his efforts at the Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "Coffee and doughnuts" are among the simpler gifts, he noted.

"I'm still volunteering out there. It's been real slow, during the pandemic. We'll be picking up ... We entertain the veterans in the nursing home, bring them food, have parties, and also the hospice. We do the same thing. I've got a special feeling for the veterans, because generally veterans are not being treated right for what they've done."

Moore, the hospital's recreation therapist, said contributions from Johnson and his fellow volunteers have included items ranging from margaritas and steaks to toothbrushes and Christmas get-togethers for vets and their families.

"We used to have lots of fun. He's just the best," she said, acknowledging Johnson's roles. "I want to be like him when I grow up."