Last year Army Brigadier General Ted Johnson retired after more than 35 years of military service. He was director of the joint staff for the South Dakota National Guard and held several other leadership positions. He helped direct the largest call up of South Dakota National Guard forces since World War Two. Johnson was also the first and only general officer in the history of the state National Guard to command a unit in combat. He led the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from 2010 to 2011 in Kabul, Afghanistan. On Saturday morning, he’ll talk about his experiences with the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group at the Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City.