Walton County Veteran Services

06/02/2026

Lucian Adams (October 26, 1922 – March 31, 2003) was a United States Army soldier during World War II who received the Medal of Honor for single-handedly destroying enemy machine gun emplacements to re-establish supply lines to U.S. Army companies. He also received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroic actions in Italy.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 28 October 1944, near St. Die, France. When his company was stopped in its effort to drive through the Mortagne Forest to reopen the supply line to the isolated third battalion, S/Sgt. Adams braved the concentrated fire of machineguns in a lone assault on a force of German troops. Although his company had progressed less than 10 yards and had lost 3 killed and 6 wounded, S/Sgt. Adams charged forward dodging from tree to tree firing a borrowed BAR from the hip. Despite intense machinegun fire which the enemy directed at him and rifle gr***des which struck the trees over his head showering him with broken twigs and branches, S/Sgt. Adams made his way to within 10 yards of the closest machinegun and killed the gunner with a hand gr***de. An enemy soldier threw hand gr***des at him from a position only 10 yards distant; however, S/Sgt. Adams dispatched him with a single burst of BAR fire. Charging into the vortex of the enemy fire, he killed another machinegunner at 15 yards range with a hand gr***de and forced the surrender of 2 supporting infantrymen. Although the remainder of the German group concentrated the full force of its automatic weapons fire in a desperate effort to knock him out, he proceeded through the woods to find and exterminate 5 more of the enemy. Finally, when the third German machinegun opened up on him at a range of 20 yards, S/Sgt. Adams killed the gunner with BAR fire. In the course of the action, he personally killed 9 Germans, eliminated 3 enemy machineguns, vanquished a specialized force which was armed with automatic weapons and gr***de launchers, cleared the woods of hostile elements, and reopened the severed supply lines to the assault companies of his battalion.

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Thomas James Kinsman (March 4, 1945 – May 15, 2017) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty Sp4c. Kinsman (then Pfc.) distinguished himself in action in the afternoon while serving as a rifleman with Company B, on a reconnaissance-in-force mission. As his company was proceeding up a narrow canal in armored troops carriers, it came under sudden and intense rocket, automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a well entrenched Viet Cong force. The company immediately beached and began assaulting the enemy bunker complex. Hampered by exceedingly dense undergrowth which limited visibility to 10 meters, a group of 8 men became cut off from the main body of the company. As they were moving through heavy enemy fire to effect a link-up, an enemy soldier in a concealed position hurled a gr***de into their midst. Sp4c. Kinsman immediately alerted his comrades of the danger, then unhesitatingly threw himself on the gr***de and blocked the explosion with his body. As a result of his courageous action, he received severe head and chest wounds. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his personal safety and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, Sp4c. Kinsman averted loss of life and injury to the other 7 men of his element. Sp4c. Kinsman's extraordinary heroism at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

05/31/2026

US Air Force Captain Lance P. Sijan, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions November 9, 1967, on his 52d and final combat mission, during the 46 days he evaded capture, and his 28 days as a POW. Captain Sijan flew as a pilot and systems officer in an F-4 Phantom for the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, stationed at Da Nang Air Base during the Vietnam War.

As Captain Sijan and pilot Lt. Col. John Armstrong rolled in on their target to release their ordnance, the bomb fuses malfunctioned, causing a premature detonation on their release and engulfing their F-4C in a ball of fire. Captain Sijan managed to eject from the aircraft, his parachute landing him on a rocky limestone ridge adjacent to the target. Nothing was heard from him until the morning of November 11 when he made radio contact with an aircraft flying over the crash site. For the rest of the day the US Air Force launched a massive effort to locate his position and to soften up the enemy air defenses in the area. At dusk, search and rescue forces were finally able to position a helicopter near his position.

Captain Sijan refused to put other airmen in danger, and insisted on trying to crawl to a jungle penetrator lowered by the helicopter. He opposed a parajumper coming down to find and rescue him. But the helicopter crew could not see him in the jungle. The helicopter hovered for 33 minutes, when, hearing no further radio transmissions from Captain Sijan, they were ordered to withdraw. Search efforts continued the next morning, but were called off when no further radio contact was made.

During his violent ejection and rough parachute landing, Captain Sijan had suffered a fractured skull, a mangled right hand and a compound fracture of the left leg. He was without food, with little water and no survival kit. Still, he evaded enemy forces for 46 days. He was able to move only by sliding on his back side along the rocky ridge and later along the jungle floor. After managing to move several thousand feet, Captain Sijan crawled onto a truck road along the Ho Chi Minh Trail where he was finally captured by the North Vietnamese on Christmas Day 1967.

Badly emaciated and in poor health, he was placed in custody in a North Vietnamese Army camp. Soon thereafter, he managed to incapacitate a guard and escape into the jungle, only to be recaptured several hours later. Captain Sijan was transported to a holding compound. Although in terrific pain from his wounds and from brutal beatings and torture inflicted by his captors, Captain Sijan displayed superhuman defiance, refusing to disclose any information other than what Geneva Convention guidelines allowed.

Suffering from exhaustion, malnutrition and disease, he was then transferred to Hanoi. But in his weakened state, he soon contracted pneumonia and died in Hoa Loa Prison (the notorious Hanoi Hilton) on January 22, 1968.

05/31/2026

JOHNSON, LEON W.

Rank and organization: Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps, 44th Bomber Group, 9th Air Force
Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 1 August 1943 (Air Mission)
Entered service at: Moline, Kans.
G.O. No.: 54, 7 September 1943

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry in action and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 1 August 1943. Col. Johnson, as commanding officer of a heavy bombardment group, let the formation of the aircraft of his organization constituting the fourth element of the mass low-level bombing attack of the 9th U.S. Air Force against the vitally important enemy target of the Ploesti oil refineries. While proceeding to the target on this 2,400-mile flight, his element became separated from the leading elements of the mass formation in maintaining the formation of the unit while avoiding dangerous cumulous cloud conditions encountered over mountainous territory. Though temporarily lost, he reestablished contact with the third element and continued on the mission with this reduced force to the prearranged point of attack, where it was discovered that the target assigned to Col. Johnson's group had been attacked and damaged by a preceding element. Though having lost the element of surprise upon which the safety and success of such a daring form of mission in heavy bombardment aircraft so strongly depended, Col. Johnson elected to carry out his planned low-level attack despite the thoroughly alerted defenses, the destructive antiaircraft fire, enemy fighter airplanes, the imminent danger of exploding delayed action bombs from the previous element, of oil fires and explosions, and of intense smoke obscuring the target. By his gallant courage, brilliant leadership, and superior flying skill, Col. Johnson so led his formation as to destroy totally the important refining plants and installations which were the object of his mission. Col. Johnson's personal contribution to the success of this historic raid, and the conspicuous gallantry in action, and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty demonstrated by him on this occasion constitute such deeds of valor and distinguished service as have during our Nation's history formed the finest traditions of our Armed Forces.

05/30/2026

Henry Talmage Elrod

Rank: Captain (Highest Rank: Major)
Conflict/Era: World War II
Unit/Command:
Marine Fighting Squadron 211
Military Service Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Medal of Honor Action Date: December 8 - 23, 1941
Medal of Honor Action Place: Wake Island

Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to Marine Fighting Squadron 211, during action against enemy Japanese land, surface and aerial units at Wake Island, 8-23 December 1941. Engaging vastly superior forces of enemy bombers and warships on 9 and 12 December, Capt. Elrod shot down two of a flight of 22 hostile planes and, executing repeated bombing and strafing runs at extremely low altitude and close range, succeeded in inflicting deadly damage upon a large Japanese vessel, thereby sinking the first major warship to be destroyed by small-caliber bombs delivered from a fighter-type aircraft. When his plane was disabled by hostile fire and no other ships were operative, Capt. Elrod assumed command of one flank of the line set up in defiance of the enemy landing and, conducting a brilliant defense, enabled his men to hold their positions and repulse intense hostile fusillades to provide covering fire for unarmed ammunition carriers. Capturing an automatic weapon during one enemy rush in force, he gave his own firearm to one of his men and fought on vigorously against the Japanese. Responsible for a large measure of the strength of his sector's gallant resistance, on 23 December, Capt. Elrod led his men with bold aggressiveness until he fell, mortally wounded. His superb skill as a pilot, daring leadership, and unswerving devotion to duty distinguished him among the defenders of Wake Island, and his valiant conduct reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

05/30/2026

There are 2 Main Surviving Spousal Benefits from the VA: DIC and Widow’s Pension. DIC is not income or asset-related and is strictly tied to the service-connected nature of the veteran's death. On the other hand, Survivor's Pension is income and asset-based and applies to survivors of veterans who served during wartime but whose deaths were not service-connected. If you are concerned about what your surviving spouse may be eligible for, we would be happy to sit down and explain everything, and ease your mind. Call our office at 850-892-8140 and schedule an appt to come in and speak to one of our VSOs!

05/29/2026

Your DD214 is the first step to obtaining your VA Benefits. Need a copy of your DD214? You can start your request online at www.archives.gov or by calling our office at 850-892-8140 and we can schedule you an appointment to come in and fill out the request.

05/29/2026

What Are Veterans Service Organizations/VSOs?

Veterans service organizations (VSOs) are organizations that aid and serve veterans, servicemembers, dependents, and survivors. Bottom line, we’re here to help! Our VSOs are accredited through the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, The American Legion, The Disabled American Veterans, and The Veterans of Foreign Wars. We are bi-annually accredited and certified to assist Veterans and their dependents, with claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please contact us if there is anything we can assist you with! 850-892-8140

05/26/2026

William Henry Johnson (circa July 15, 1892 – July 1, 1929), commonly known as Henry Johnson, was a United States Army soldier who performed heroically in the first African American unit of the U.S. Army to engage in combat in World War I.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Private Johnson distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during combat operations against the enemy on the front lines of the Western Front in France on May 15, 1918. Private Johnson and another soldier were on sentry duty at a forward outpost when they received a surprise attack from a German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers. While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Private Johnson mounted a brave retaliation, resulting in several enemy casualties. When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Wielding only a knife and gravely wounded himself, Private Johnson continued fighting and took his Bolo knife and stabbed it through an enemy soldier's head. Displaying great courage, Private Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated. Private Johnson's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.