Retired admiral and his wife lead Heritage Days parade for Wounded Warriors

Retired admiral and his wife lead Heritage Days parade for a cause

By Seth Koenig, Times Record Staff
Published:
Friday, July 1, 2011 2:08 PM EDT
BATH — Retired four-star Adm. Gregory “Grog” Johnson has been places few other people in the world have been allowed.

As a high-ranking Navy officer, he was in the loop — if not in the room — for sensitive Pentagon talks charting America’s course for conflicts in Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Somalia.

But for Bath’s 39th annual Heritage Days festival, Johnson will be somewhere he’s never been before. Along with his wife, Joy, Johnson will serve as a grand marshal of the celebration’s Fourth of July parade Monday. In those roles, the couple will attempt to raise awareness about Wounded Warrior programs, which offer recreational and rehabilitative activities for military personnel who are disabled in combat.

“I’ve watched lots of parades, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been in one before,” he said. “I’ve certainly never been one of the marshals.”

While thousands of eyes on Monday will be on the Johnsons, who retired to Harpswell, it figures to be a low pressure environment compared to what the retired admiral is used to from his days in the service. He told The Times Record on Tuesday that the one thing he learned to expect was: You never know what to expect.
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Retired admiral and his wife lead Heritage Days parade for a cause