HomeMy WebLinkAboutLawrence A. Johnson, Brazos Valley Heroes � ± i
1 * -4 -- •
' - in it'series o tri )tltes to m ° I ' !he 6f
c'ne 1' ,•
(ienc'ration" who served our country during World War II
g
wry
' Jol sot A1
m 4 ,
In 1940 Lawrence A. Johnson decided he want- ing bays because the target was so far away. When we
ed to leave the family tobacco farm in Smithfield, N.C., got over the target, the engineer. who was in charge of
and join the Army Air Corps. dropping the bombs, dropped the extra fuel tank
"I enlisted on October 15, 1940, and was sent to instead of the bombs, so we had to go back over the
Jefferson Davis Barracks, Missouri, for basic training. target to drop the bombs, Then we headed home, hop -
We drilled in our civilian clothes for about a week ing we could make it back. We knew we couldn't get
before we were issued uniforms. By that time, you to Port Moresby or to any auxiliary field. We were fly -
could just about stand those civilian clothes in the cor- ing at 500 feet trying to make it to Australia. Just as
ner." we cleared the Australian coast, we ran out of fuel and
Johnson was sent to radio school and then for the pilot told us to 'get out and walk.' It was at night
training in Massachusetts with a heavy bombardment and so dark you couldn't see what we were jumping
group flying B -17's. On December 6, 1941, Johnson into. We landed in a forest, and when I landed I broke
was issued a furlough to go home the following my leg in two places. The engineer was stuck in a tree
Monday and get married. The next day, with the bomb- and he felt small limbs so he thought he was near the
ing of Pearl Harbor, all furloughs were cancelled. ground so he cut himself loose. The only problem
"I was sent, as part of a crew consisting of a was, he was 40 feet above the ground. He was injured,
pilot, co- pilot, engineer and me as the radioman, to also.
Spokane, Washington, to pick up a plane. On the way ‘ "When the plane hit, it started a fire. Fortunately,'
back to Langley Field. Virginia, the pilot trained the co- a crewmate carried us through the fire and spread a ,fi.
pilot to fly. We barnstormed across the country. It took chute over the burned out area so we could be spot -
us a week to fly back. When we got back, the co -pilot ted by a rescue plane. We were spotted the next day":
became the pilot and then trained a new co- pilot. We and they dropped some water and some food. By 5
left the states from MacDill Field in Florida and flew p.m., the local aborigines had found us and took us to
across the Atlantic to Africa, then on to India, ending the coast, where we were picked up by a PBY and ..
up on the island of Java in the East Indies, or what is flown to a hospital. All of the crew were located and 7
now Indonesia. made it back except for the navigator, who was never =;
"We flew bombing missions against Japanese found."
positions until they ran us out of Java in 1942. We flew Johnson was sent back to the states, where he
some people out and the rest of us were loaded on spent the rest of the war training other crews.
ships and sailed to Pert, Australia. We reformed at "After six months in the hospital, I. went home
Melbourne, Australia, and started back. We flew out of and got married. Being on crutches was the only way
Brisbane, where our base was located, to Port she could catch me. I've stayed caught now for 62
Moresby, where we would refuel. If our base were years."
closer, the Japanese Zeros would have eliminated all When the war ended in Europe, Johnson was
of our bombers on the ground. As it was, they could- discharged and went back to the tobacco farm. He
n't reach our base. We typically would send 12 to 13 later went to work in an electronics plant, retiring 26
planes on a mission and would lose two to three years later as a supervisor. "I was the guy that turned
planes pretty much each time. We had almost no out the light in your refrigerator."
fighter support. We were pretty much on our own. At Johnson came to Texas to be near his son and
night, we would go out one at a time so we wouldn't family and now lives in Bryan.
run into each other. When you were hit by a spotlight "I have always had a real problem with motion '
over the target, it would be so bright, you could just sickness. I can't travel in a car, train, boat or plane for ,.
about read a newspaper. On one mission I was sup- very long without getting sick. But I never got sick : #
posed to take pictures of the target. When we got over going on a mission and I don't know why." ,,
the target, I could see the Japanese Zeros lifting off Lawrence Johnson is a recipient of the Purple ,,
the runway. We were at 20,000 feet flying at 200 mph. Heart. His name can be found on the Brazos Valley . .i.
They caught us 20 minutes later. The Japanese Zero Veterans Memorial. For more information, to make a ``
was a good plane." . contribution, or if you know a World War II veteran
Johnson and his crew managed to always return whose story needs to be told, contact the BVVM at
from their missions until November 1942. www.veterans- memorial.org, or Bill Youngkin at 979
"We had an extra tank of fuel in one of the bomb- 260 -7030.
The Eagle
Here when you need us.
4,