James E Johnson
James was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho, on the 1st of January, 1926. In school, he played basketball and just before his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps on the 10th of November, 1943. This happened to also be the 168th birthday of the Marine Corps.
During World War 2, James was deployed to the Pacific and fought in both the Peleliu and Okinawa campaigns. He was discharged after the War and he went home to work as a machinist in the Naval Ordnance plant. James also decided to attend the Western Washington College in Bellingham, Washington, before he re-enlisted in the Marine Corps. He became an instructor in post exchange accounting at the Marine Corps Institute at the Marine Barracks in Washington DC and did so for about a year. In August of 1950, only five days after the birth of his daughter, James deployed to Korea and he fought in the Battle of Inchon but it was his actions during the Battle for Chosin Reservoir that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Squad Leader in a Provisional Rifle Platoon composed of Artillery men and attached to Company J, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces at Yudam-ni, Korea, on 2 December 1950. Vastly outnumbered by a well-entrenched and cleverly concealed enemy force wearing the uniforms of friendly troops and attacking his platoon's open and unconcealed positions, Sergeant Johnson unhesitatingly took charge of his platoon in the absence of the leader and exhibiting great personal valor in the face of a heavy barrage of hostile fire, coolly proceeded to move about among his men, shouting words of encouragement and inspiration and skillfully directing their fire. Ordered to displace his platoon during the fire fight, he immediately placed himself in an extremely hazardous position from which he could provide covering fire for his men. Fully aware that his voluntary action meant either certain death or capture to himself, he courageously continued to provide effective cover for his men and was last observed in a wounded condition single-handedly engaging enemy troops in close hand grenade and hand-to-hand fighting. By his valiant and inspiring leadership, Sergeant Johnson was directly responsible for the successful completion of the platoon's displacement and the saving of many lives. His dauntless fighting spirit and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of terrific odds reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.
When James was last seen, he was wounded and still fighting the enemy with hand-to-hand combat and he was never recovered. His wife received his Medal of Honor from the Secretary of the Navy on the 29th of March, 1954, in a ceremony at the Pentagon. James Edmund Johnson was 24 years old when he died on the 2nd of December, 1950, and he has cenotaphs in Arlington National Cemetery, Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii, and at the National Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.
