Arlington National Cemetery
  31-471 

BORN:  May 07, 1947 at Detroit, MI

Entered Service in the US Army from Detroit, MI

Earned The Medal of Honor During the Vietnam War For heroism on January 15, 1968 at Dak To, Kontum Province, Vietnam

Specialist Fifth Class Johnson's tank was in heavy contact with a battalion size North Vietnamese force when it threw a track and was immobilized. Specialist Johnson climbed out of the vehicle armed only with a .45 caliber pistol and killed several enemy soldiers before he had expended his ammunition. Returning to his tank through a heavy volume of enemy fire, he obtained a submachine gun to continue his fight against the advancing enemy. Engaged in extremely close combat when the last of his ammunition was expended, he killed an enemy soldier with the stock of his submachine gun. Now weaponless, he ignored the enemy fire and climbed into his platoon sergeant's tank, extricated a wounded crewmember and carried him to an armored personnel carrier. He then returned to the same tank and assisted in firing the main gun until it jammed. In a magnificent display of courage, he exited the tank and again armed only with a pistol, engaged several North Vietnamese troops. Fighting his way through devastating fire and remounting his own immobilized tank, he remained fully exposed to the enemy as he engaged them with the tank's externally-mounted .50 caliber machinegun; where he remained until the situation was brought under control.