Under a clear blue sky, with flags waiving and the sounds of helicopters in the background, South Alabama Regional Airport named its heliport in memory of former helicopter pilot John B. Givhan.
It was a tribute his cousin, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Walter Givhan, who served as guest speaker for the event, said would have meant the most to him.
John B. Givhan was a retired attorney and a Vietnam veteran who lost a leg in the war. He died in August.
Walter Givhan said most in the community know that story. “But I’d like to tell you his story from the perspective of a family member grew up looking up to him.
“He was a proud son of Alabama and rural Dallas County,” Givhan said, describing Safford, Alabama, as “the middle of nowhere, really. I knew him as John Brandon. He was larger than life when I was growing up.”
Givhan said he was aware, even as a child, “that John had left and gone off to Vietnam” where he flew more than 250 combat missions.
“This is the early 60s, before the massive buildup after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964,” he said. “His families would share the letters he wrote. I remember hearing them read. All of that was cut short when he was severely wounded by a missile that hit the lower part of his right leg.”
John B. Givhan was airlifting solders out of a hot zone on April 12, 1964.
“He almost bled to death,” Walter Givhan said. “He would have died if his co-pilot, Bo Thompson, had not thought to put a belt around his leg.”
Givhan, who was 6 at the time, said the stories made the war real to him.
“I remember how joyful it was when John came home to Alabama,” he said.
Givhan said that for many veterans, war never goes away.
“They called it shell-shock in WWI. Now it is known as PTSD. Many of us who served in combat experiences have PTSD to some degree. It varies, according to trauma experiences.
“John felt it acutely,” Givhan said. “Part of his therapy was writing a memoir. It’s good to get the traumas out.”
Givhan said his cousin connected to other veterans, and acted as a mentor to those serving in the military.
“When I came home from my first combat tour, I remember talking to him,” he said. “I give credit to him and to others that the lessons we learned from their war helped us.”
John Givhan also organized efforts to support soldiers in combat and often shipped care packages.
“I was a hero to all of my unit for all the things we received, including some pound cakes from Andalusia,” he said of his time in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. “It was John’s passion for caring for veterans that drove him. I know how pleased and proud he would be to be remembered in the way you remember him today.”
Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson introduced Walter Givhan, who currently serves as Senior Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Economic Development for Troy University. John Givhan’s children, John Jr. and Endsley Givhan Bolen, also spoke, as did his grandson, John Bolen.
Bolen said that the heliport was a place of comfort for her father, who not only enjoyed visiting with pilots who landed to refuel, but also liked taking his family members there for one-on-one time.
The Covington Veterans Foundation will host Celebration of Heroes: A Salute to Covington County Veterans at 2 p.m. this Sunday, November 7, in the Andalusia High School Auditorium.
The musical celebration is being coordinated by Covington Veterans Foundation member Amy Dugger, and will focus on the Vietnam era. The Three Notch Ramblers, the Andy Sisters, Andalusia Ballet, and the Andalusia’s Men’s Chorus will perform. Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., chancellor of the Troy University system and a Vietnam veteran, will be the keynote speaker. CVF board member Ben Bowden will serve as master of ceremonies.
Following the ceremony, a reception in Andalusia City Hall will mark the opening of a historical exhibit focusing on the contributions of local veterans. The display, curated by CVF member Robert Evers, will remain open through Veterans Day.
There are more than 400 veterans tribute banners displayed throughout the downtown area this year. The Covington Veterans Foundation sells the banners and works with the City of Andalusia to display them.
Other events include:
• Lt. John B. Givhan Heliport Dedication Ceremony, Wed., Nov. 10, at 10 a.m., South Alabama Regional Airport.
• The South Alabama Regional Airport, City of Andalusia and Covington Veterans Foundation have worked with the Friends of Army Aviation to have two UH-1 helicopters at the airport on Wednesday, Nov. 10, as part of this year's tributes to veterans. The helicopters will be at the main entrance to South Alabama Regional Airport from 9 a.m. until sunset. Tickets will be sold online at https://friendsofarmyaviation.org/.
• The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Veterans Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. The lineup begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call the Chamber at 334-222-2030.
• A Veterans Day service will follow at the Covington Veterans Memorial, located behind City Hall. Retired educator and Vietnam veteran Sam Nichols, an Andalusia native and Class of 1965 AHS graduate, will be the guest speaker. A reception for veterans will follow in City Hall.
The City of Andalusia has accepted an invitation to present its story at the fall conference of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in Portland, Oregon, this week.
Andalusia’s presentation, “Rebirth of an Historic Alabama Community,” shares a bit of the city’s history with details of the steps taken to revitalize the community. The presentation explores the use of public/private community development partnerships to continue an equitable renaissance that began with the restoration of the former East Three Notch Elementary School as City Hall.
The presentation begins with a virtual tour of the community narrated by Mayor Earl Johnson and produced with assistance from PowerSouth. Other presenters are John Thompson, City of Andalusia Administrator; Steven Bingler, founder and CEO of Concordia, an Architecture, Planning and Community Engagement firm located in New Orleans; and Scott vonCannon, chief operations officer of Retail Strategies. The City is working with Concordia to update its comprehensive plan, and works with Retail Strategies to recruit new businesses to the city.
“We are honored that ICMA found our story compelling and invited us to present to their group,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “We hope that the exposure will help us to continue to attract interest in Andalusia.”
The City of Andalusia invites local residents interested in providing input into the City’s comprehensive plan to attend one of two town hall meetings set for Tuesday, October 19.
Earlier this year, local residents were invited to a “virtual meeting,” which involved using an online survey to provide feedback about the community, how people use its assets, and what other assets are needed.
Concordia, the architectural and community planning firm with which the City partnered for updating the plan, has analyzed the data provided in the spring, and will present some proposed plans for additional community input during the Town Hall meetings.
The meetings are set the Adult Activity Center, 401 Walker Avenue (behind the Church Street Cultural Arts Centre/Andalusia Ballet) at noon and 5:30 p.m.
For additional information about the meeting, contact Michele Gerlach at 334.428.1143.
South Alabama Regional Airport is one of three Alabama airports that will benefit from more than $4.5 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby announced this week.
SARA is receiving $2.1 million to construct, extend and improve a safety area.
Jeremiah Denton Airport in Dauphin Island and Thomas C. Russell Field Airport in Alexander City also received funding.
“I am proud that Alabama is receiving federal funding that will bring significant improvements to these three local airports around the state,” said Senator Shelby. “This $4.5 million in FAA grants will allow for infrastructure advancements that will help promote economic development and benefit our aviation industry for years to come.”
Each of these FAA grants are administered through the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which was funded in the FY21 annual appropriations package that was signed into law in December 2020.