American Legion Post 314 in Lehighton honored Sgt. 1st Class John R. Williams III with a retirement ceremony on July 17. A graduate of Palmerton Area High School, Class of 1995, Williams will be retiring from the U.S. Army on Sept. 1 after 20 years of service.

Williams said his thoughts about the retirement ceremony were bittersweet."It was a great honor to have the ceremony and especially to be able to share it with all my family who I have not gotten to see very often over the years, but it also meant my career in the Army is over," he said.Williams entered the Army on Aug. 20, 1996. He attended basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He has been assigned to 194th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Camp Humphreys and 34th Support Group in Korea; 18th Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; AND 86th Signal Battalion at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.Twelve of his 20 years of service have been spent overseas, which included multiple deployments: Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2004-2005, 18th Airborne Corps, Camp Victory, Iraq; Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2006-2007, 1st Cavalry Division, Camp Liberty, Iraq; and Operation Enduring Freedom, 2010-2011, 86th Signal Battalion, Kandahar, Afghanistan.For his service to our country, Williams has earned: The Bronze Star Medal; Meritorious Service Medal (4 Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Commendation Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Achievement Medal (1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster & 3 Oak Leaf Clusters); Meritorious Unit Commendation (2 Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Superior Unit Award; Afghanistan Campaign Medal (1 Campaign Star); Iraqi Campaign Medal (2 Campaign Stars); Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; NATO Medal; Gold Recruiting Badge; Combat Action Badge and many others."It has been an honor to wear the uniform of the U.S. Army and to serve my country for the last 20 years," Williams said. "I will miss serving with the great men and women that keep our great country safe. I will miss the camaraderie with my fellow brothers and sisters in arms that were formed over multiple deployments."Although Williams didn't intend to make the military a career, he said, "After a couple years, I really enjoyed it, so I decided to stay with it."His military roots go deeper. He is the son of an Army veteran, John R. Williams Jr., who lives in Lehighton, and Debra Rausch Hahn of Palmerton. And he is the grandson of John R. Williams Sr., who also retired from the Army, and Kathryn Williams of Lehighton. His other grandparents are Marie Jones Williams and the late William Jones of Palmerton.Williams is married to the former Jacquie Heim, and they have two children, Jade and Nicholas, and two stepchildren, Tyler and Emily. They live in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but intend to return to Pennsylvania in a few years.With his newfound time, Williams intends to enjoy life and go back to college. He will be pursuing a bachelor's degree in human resources management from West Kentucky University. He currently holds an associate degree in administrative/management studies.