'True warrior' joins elite corps
By KIMBERLY BLAIR,
Daily News Staff Writer
(Courtesy of Northwest Florida Daily News)

Harry Aderholt has so many awards, medals and honors he finds it cumbersome to list them all.

"I got most of the medals from serving in three wars. The Silver Star, Bronze ..." said Aderholt, a retired brigadier general who served as vice commander and commander of the 1st Air Commando Wing during a military career that spanned about 35 years.

He is certainly honored to have received them all, but they pale in comparison to the one he recently received, he said.

Aderholt was inducted into the Air Force Special Operations Command's Order of the Sword. In addition to being inducted into an elite corps, he received a finely crafted sword worthy of a knight in King Arthur's Court.

"It's almost as tall as I am," said Aderholt.

Aderholt is only the third person to be inducted into the Special Operations Command's Order of the Sword since the Air Force started the tradition 34 years ago.

Maj. Gen. James Hobson, the third commander of the Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, was inducted in 1997. Gen. Charles Holland, former commander of Special Operations Command and the current commander in chief of U.S. Special Operations Command at McDill Air Force Base, was inducted in 2000.

The men share the honor with 201 others from throughout the Air Force. The award distinguishes the recipient as a "leader among leaders."

"It's the greatest honor because it is from the enlisted people that I served with for 35 years," said Aderholt, who lives in Fort Walton Beach. "I've been decorated by Kings and Queens. But this is the greatest thing that has ever happened."

As he received the award he told the Non-Commissioned Officers Corps at Hurlburt Field that it is the icing on the cake in the twilight of his life. He accepted the award in the name of the tens of thousands of noncommissioned officers who supported him and mentored him throughout his career.

During the formal ceremony, Aderholt was praised for being the quintessential Air Force Special Operator.

"He is a true warrior, outstanding leader and compassionate friend of the enlisted corps in Air Force Special Operations Command and the Air Force," said Chief Master Sgt. Mike Reynolds, the command's chief master sergeant.

After joining the military in 1942, Aderholt became a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Upon retirement in 1976, he maintained his ties to Hurlburt by helping to found the Air Commandos Association and as a frequent lecturer at the Special Operations School.

He also helped launch the Air Commando Association and took up another battle.

He is the co-founder of the McCoskrie-Threshold Foundation that sends relief supplies to war-torn and third world countries.

Said Aderholt: "As an old man it is more gratifying, when you can't fight anymore, to go around and take care of what you tore up."