Former chairman honored at Board of Commissioners meeting

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. – The Houston County Board of Commissioners took the time to honor a former chair and took care of county business during its first meeting of 2024.

The commissioners’ guest of honor was former chairman Ned Sanders, who spoke on his previous military experience and related it to his former role with the board.

According to Sanders, his military experience began in childhood. He recalled a fascination with World War II when he was 10 years old. His mother made him an Army uniform, and he wrote a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president at the time, volunteering to join the military.

The White House responded, telling Sanders he was too young to join. He wrote again a year later, this time hearing from the Department of Defense, telling him he was too young.

In 1948, Sanders joined the South Carolina National Guard, traveling soon after to Virginia for active duty training. He was 16 years old at the time.

After high school, Sanders got a scholarship and studied at the Citadel after debating whether to join the military or ministry. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, then joined the Air Force, where he traveled to multiple states and could fly many iconic planes used in WWII.

“I was thinking about going into the ministry. But the good Lord said, ‘No, I’d rather have you in the cockpit than in the pulpit.’ So anyway, I wound up going to the Citadel, over in Charleston, wearing the uniform again,” Sanders said.

Sanders would arrive at the Air Force Academy in Colorado three-and-a-half months before the first class arrived. He and 65 other new lieutenants were responsible for training themselves, then the incoming classes. Sanders spent three years in Colorado teaching three separate groups aviation and engineering.

After Colorado, Sanders went to Alabama and flew across the Southeast for two years, from Cuba to Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Antonio, then a stint in Alaska as a civil engineer.

After receiving his Master’s from the University of Colorado, Sanders spent time in the Philippines and South Vietnam. He then transferred to Georgia in the Georgia National Guard, working as a civil engineer at Robins Air Force Base.

Sanders’ last stop in his military career was Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. When he retired, he received a Legion of Merit.

As a civilian, Sanders started working as a civil engineer at Robins Air Force Base, where he began showing interest in politics and eventually was voted chairman of the Board of Commissioners.

Current Chairman Dan Perdue and the board thanked Sanders for his military service and spoke about his legacy within the county.

“We are the beneficiaries of a long legacy of good fiscal management and strong conservative leadership, which you are a large piece of. So, thank you for that,” Perdue said.

Sanders replied, “When I was serving on the county commission as chairman, any successes that happened during that 10 and a half years was not totally because of me; it was because of the good people that work for Houston County and the support that I had during that time. And I want to share that with all of them also, by all means.”

Sanders received a gift from the board, then they moved on to the agenda, approving all measures unanimously:

•A property owner requested de-annexation from the City of Perry for property at 0 Highway 247 and 2440 Highway 247. The properties were zoned as city R-3 and are now county R-3.

•A straw blower was purchased for the roads and bridges department for over $45,000.

•The sheriff’s office received a new deputy sheriff position.

•The board approved qualifying fees for this year’s county elections. The general primary will be held on May 21 and the election is set for Nov. 5.

•The board approved the payment of the bills, totaling $5,205,574.

For a complete look at the agenda and a live stream of this past meeting, visit https://www.houstoncountyga.org/commissioner/meeting-minutes.cms.

The next Houston County Board of Commissioners meeting will occur on Jan. 16, 5 p.m., at the Houston County Annex building at 200 Carl Vinson Parkway in Warner Robins.

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