On Friday, May 14, at 1:00 p.m., Macon-Bibb County will hold a ceremony to officially dedicate the intersection of Hopewell Road and Midway Road to Private First Class (PFC) Horace Johnson, Jr. The ceremony will be held at 8910 Hopewell Road (the mailbox with the address is across the street) from the property before the family and guests unveil a sign marking the dedicating it as the “PFC Horace Johnson, Jr., KIA Memorial Intersection.”

The event is open to invited guests, media, and staff. It will be broadcast live to Macon-Bibb County’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/maconbibbcounty.

“It’s my honor to help recognize one of our community’s and country’s heroes, and I’m thankful to former Commissioner Joe Allen for making this all possible,” says District 6 Commissioner Raymond Wilder. “Dedicating our public spaces to the men and women protecting us is but a small but very meaningful gesture. I urge all people to find ways to remember those we’ve lost and celebrate those still protecting us.”

“The debt we owe to the people who protect us is immeasurable, but it’s one we must pay every day through actions big and small,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “Dedicating this intersection will let Private First Class Johnson’s family and friends know, every day, that we remember and thank him for his service and commitment to them, our community, and our country.”

 PFC Johnson was born in Lizella in 1948 and served in the Vietnam War from 1967 – 1968 as a Military Occupational Specialty 0311 Rifleman in the United States Marine Corps. He served with the 3^rd Marine Amphibious Force (MAF), 2^nd Combined Action Group (CAG), United States Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMFPAC) Infantry Division.

On August 19, 1968, PFC Johnson was part of a patrol sent to sweep the Quang Nam Province area that engaged in a small arms and automatic weapons fight against North Vietnamese ground forces. PFC Johnson was struck by enemy gunfire and killed while serving our country and saving the lives of his comrades on the field of battle.