The Major General William E. Harmon Valor Fund through the Arkansas Tech University Foundation is spotlighting the late Major General Gary W. Johnston for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2026.
Private donations to the valor fund in honor and memory of Johnston from October-December 2026 will provide resources for living expenses, emergency financial needs, academic-related supplies, graduate school application expenses and professional interview attire to ATU students with military affiliation (service members or dependents) who are currently enrolled at Arkansas Tech or graduated from Arkansas Tech within the last three months.
Those interested in making a gift in support of eligible military-affiliated personnel and their dependents may do so at www.atualumni.com/valorfund.
Call (479) 857-4235 or send e-mail to msouth@atu.edu for more information.
The valor fund was established in May 2026. Henceforth and on a quarterly basis, the valor fund will spotlight additional ATU alumni who have distinguished themselves in service to the United States and other individuals who have made significant contributions to the U.S. Army ROTC program at Arkansas Tech.
Johnston received his Bachelor of Science degree in business from ATU in 1987. He completed the U.S. Army ROTC program at ATU and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army.
During an active military career that spanned more than 34 years, Johnston served in command and staff positions from platoon to U.S. Army and U.S. Department of Defense major command levels. He deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
In 2015, Johnston became the seventh graduate of the ATU U.S. Army ROTC program to attain the rank of General officer in the U.S. Army. He was promoted to Major General two years later.
He culminated his career as the commander for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, a global organization of 17,500 personnel across more than 40 countries.
Johnston retired from active duty in September 2021 and passed away in January 2022.
He was part of the inaugural class of the ATU U.S. Army ROTC Hall of Honor in 2017 and he received the highest honor his alma mater bestows when he was inducted into the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction in 2019.
Johnston was remembered by the U.S. Army with two posthumous honors in June 2026.
It was announced during a dedication ceremony at Fort Huachuca that a new military intelligence facility in the desert hills of southern Arizona will be named the Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility. It will house what a news release from the U.S. Army described as “some of the nation’s most essential military intelligence soldiers” from the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).
Johnston was also inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame in recognition of his efforts to reshape military intelligence and prepare it for the future by integrating new technologies such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
