Doster Community Center, 424 S. Northington St., Prattville, AL 36067

Major Johnson attended Greenville High School in Greenville, Alabama, lettered in four sports and was All State in football. In 1958 he joined the Alabama National Guard at 17. He graduated from high school in 1959, went to Basic Infantry Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and on to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, for artillery training. Afterwards, he attended Bethel College in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on a basketball scholarship. Soon after, he transferred to Troy State College (TSC) in Troy, Alabama, from which he graduated in 1964 and received a degree in Education. He attended TSC on a workshop and played basketball and baseball.

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He attended the Alabama National Guard Officers Candidate School his senior year at TSC and received a commission as a 2 nd Lieutenant of Artillery. He taught history, social studies, and art and coached junior varsity football and basketball at public and private schools in Greenville and Phenix City, Alabama. During this time, he attended Jump School and the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Ft. Benning, Georgia. After graduating he volunteered for three years of Reserve Active Duty and was sent to Ranger School while awaiting orders to 46 th Special Forces Company (Airborne) in Thailand. There he commanded an A Team on the Malaysian border and served as a B Team Operations Officer on the Cambodian border.

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After returning to the United States, he was assigned to Ft. Benning, Georgia, Ranger Department, where he served as a Tach Officer and then became Operations Officer. He also qualified as a Jump Master while at Ft. Benning. His next assignment was to the 3 rd Brigade, 9 th Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1969 where he first commanded A Company 5 th Battalion, 60 th Infantry for six months and then E Company 75 th Infantry, Rangers for another six months of combat. He received a Regular Army commission in 1971.

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Major Johnson volunteered for an accompanied three year tour in Germany and received orders for the 8 th Infantry Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. He was assigned to 2/47 th Infantry Battalion staff in Mainz, Germany but was soon promoted to Major and reassigned to Division Staff as the G-2 Air. Upon returning to the United States, Major Johnson assumed command of A Company, 2 nd Battalion, 5 th Special Forces Group (Airborne) for twenty-six months. His company received mountain and desert training as well as extreme weather training and language proficiency training in two languages, Farsi and Arabic. All of which had to be maintained for short notice deployment. They also had to maintain peak physical condition. Major Johnson graduated from The Command and General Staff College in 1981.

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In 1986, Major Johnson retired from the Army and returned to his hometown of Greenville, Alabama, with his family to be near his aging parents. He was a licensed city planner and became Greenville’s first city planner. He also was certified in water and sewer operations and became the Water Works and Sewer Board’s Operations Manager. He was responsible for numerous upgrades and improvements in the city that contributed to the healthy living conditions of the citizens and the growth and prosperity of the city. He was also the principal organizer and investor in the “The Butler County News” which is now “The Greenville Standard.”

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Major Johnson was a licensed general contractor in North Carolina and Alabama and after retiring from the Water Works, he bought 90 acres of land located between Greenville public and private schools. There, he built Woodland Heights subdivision as the owner of Johnson Properties, LLC. In 2021 he sold the remaining lots and retired a final time to Baldwin County, Alabama, with his wife, Michelle. They made the relocation in order to be closer to their two daughters, Kristy Eubanks and Cindy Davis, and their husbands and their grandson, Parker Eubanks.

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Major Johnson’s Awards and Decorations: Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal (3 rd OLC, 2 w / “V” device), Legion of Merit Medal, Air Medal (2 nd OLC, 1 w / “V” device), Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal (3 rd OLC 2 w /”V” device), Meritorious Service Medal (1 st OLC), National Defense Medal, VN Service Medal, VN Campaign Medal, VN Cross of Gallantry Medal, (Fst Class, w/ Palm), VN Armed Forces Honor Medal, (Fst Class, w/ Palm) Badges: Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Master Parachute Badge, Thai Parachute Badge