East Cooper has a long list of incredibly talented people who have grown up here and "done good." One man in particular has been so successful that the entire town of Mount Pleasant is honored to claim him as their own to the chagrin of his own family.

His name is Abraham J. Turner.

He is the chief of Staff, U.S. Strategic Command.

Turner was born to the late Rev. Joseph Turner and Maggie Brown Turner in the Phillips Section of Mount Pleasant.

He attended Jennie Moore Elementary School, Laing High, and graduated from General William Moultrie High School.

He matriculated at South Carolina State University upon graduating from high school and entered the ROTC Program.

Major General Turner graduated in 1976 from South Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer.

He rose through the ranks steadily. He attended the U.S. Army War College and earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania.

Turner is now Chief of Staff, United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

He is the Principal Advisor to the Commander, United States Strategic Command, and directs the activities of the command staff by developing and implementing policies and procedures in support of the command's missions.

He chairs numerous boards, oversees the command corporate process, and serves as director of the commander's staff.

Prior to his current assignment, General Turner was Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia. Other previous assignments include serving as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training Center at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Assistant Chief of Staff, C-3, Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Camp Doha, Kuwait; Assistant Division Commander (Operations); 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and Chief, House Legislative liaison, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.

Behind these many titles and accomplishments is a man raised by a deeply religious family whose morals and values are unmatched.

He was honored recently after a group of community leaders worked to have Hwy. 41, the very road that runs through his hometown community, named in his honor.

The designation is befitting to a man who not only served his family and his church, but served his community and his country.

In combat he served during Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

He's been awarded and decorated with many medals, all of which humble him.

As citizens and visitors alike travel this road and see the new signs erected in his honor, they will wonder who this man is.

They will see his military rank and title and assume he is a man of importance.

But he is much more than that.

He is a hometown son who did good.

He is a father, a son, a grandson and a friend to many.

He is a man who is more than deserving of this honor but would have gladly suggested it go to someone else.

Major General Abraham J. Turner, we are proud of you and honored to call you our own.

Thank you for your service to this community and this country.