Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been named this year’s winner of the Harry S. Truman Good Neighbor Award.

The selection of Myers, an Air Force general who retired in September after four years as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, was announced Monday. He will be honored May 8 at a luncheon marking the 120th anniversary of the birth of President Truman, who lived in the Kansas City suburb of Independence. The award bearing his name has been given annually since 1973 by the Harry S. Truman Good Neighbor Award Foundation.

Karl Zobrist, president of the foundation, said Myers was selected because of his extraordinary service in leading the nation’s military forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“He has also done his best to support our citizen soldiers as they take on increasingly difficult duties across the globe,” Zobrist said. “General Myers exemplifies the spirit and high qualities of President Truman.”

Myers, 63, grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from Kansas State University in 1965. Last month, the university announced his appointment as a professor in its Institute of Military History and 20th Century Studies.

Myers, who lives in Virginia, plans to visit the campus in Manhattan, Kan., about three times a semester, spending three or four days lecturing students and taking part in other university functions.