A Life That Mattered

In the early morning hours of March 5, 1968 during Operation ROCK, Private First Class Johnson of Charleston and his 15-man reconnaissance patrol manned an observation post on Hill 146 overlooking the Quan Duc Duc Valley deep in enemy-controlled territory during the Vietnam War. They were attacked by a hostile force employing automatic weapons, satchel charges, and hand grenades. As the enemy raced up the hill, a grenade landed in the three-man fighting hole occupied by Johnson and two fellow Marines. Realizing the danger to his comrades, Johnson shouted a warning and willingly hurled himself upon the explosive device.
When the grenade exploded, Johnson absorbed the impact of the blast and was killed instantly. His heroic act saved the lives of fellow Marines at the cost of his own and prevented the enemy from penetrating his sector of the patrol’s perimeter. He was barely 19 years old when he died.
PFC Johnson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. He was also awarded the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Vietnamese Military Merit Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Civil Actions First Class and Good Conduct Marine Corps. On September 5, 1991 the Charleston VA Medical Center was renamed the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Last Thursday, more than 47 years after his heroic act, Johnson was honored again when a portrait of him was dedicated at Ryan’s restaurant in West Ashley for its Veterans Memorial Meeting Room. The ceremony, which was organized by The Daughters of the American Revolution, Ryan’s, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, welcomed dozens of veterans and their families. Two of Johnson’s sisters, a cousin, and close family friend were on hand for the dedication as well. The Veterans Memorial Meeting Room was standing room only as the local POW/MIA group that meets there opened up their regular meeting for the dedication.
Margaret Jones, the veterans committee chair of the Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, presided over the ceremony, which was attended by veterans of every branch of the armed forces and their families, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. The room was silent as Jones recounted Johnson’s selfless act. “He really represents the courage and the bravery of all the members of the armed forces,” she said. “His life may have been brief, but it mattered.”
It was Jones and her husband who had the idea to have the portrait hung in the restaurant’s meeting room. Ryan’s general manager Chis Mason was more than happ to oblige. “In our every day lives you don’t always remember the people who sacrificed for you. I hope this makes people aware of the sacrifices people made for us,” said Mason at the ceremony.
Gary Dodson, Commandant of the Low Country Detatchment #803 of the Marine Corps League, further praised Johnson for his sacrifice. “On the day he died, the upbringing by his family, by his faith, and by his training by the United States Marine Corps caused him to hurl himself on that grenade,” he said. “That is courage that not many get to live to talk about.”
Trying to put into perspective Johnson’s bravery, Dodson urged people to think about most teenagers they know today who are probably just wanting to play video games or borrow the car. He closed by saying “A veteran is not dead until he’s forgotten. Don’t ever forgot,” he said.
It is unlikely that Johnson’s bravery will ever be forgotten, as one of the only Veterans Affairs hospitals in the country to be named after someone stands in downtown Charleston. And now every time a group uses the meeting room at Ryan’s in West Ashley they will see the portrait of Ralph H. Johnson and his Congressional Medal of Honor.
Also, the USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) is currently being constructed at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Newport News, Vir. The USS Ralph Johnson will be an integral player in global maritime security, engaging in air, undersea, surface, strike and ballistic missile defense. As a Flight IIA destroyer, it will be equipped with Aegis Baseline 9, which incorporates integrated air and missile defense and enhanced ballistic missile defense capabilities.