Name: Harold Eugene Johnson
Rank/Branch: O3/United States Air Force
Unit: 357th TFS
Date of Birth: 31 July 1936
Home City of Record: Blakesburg IA
Date of Loss: 30 April 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 211800 North 1045900 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105F
Missions: 93
Other Personnel in Incident: Leo Thorsness, returnee
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS: 730304 RELEASED BY DRV
SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).
UPDATE - 09/95 by the P.O.W. NETWORK, Skidmore, MO
HAROLD E. JOHNSON
Major - United States Air Force
Shot Down: April 30, 1967
Released: March 4, 1973
Major Harold Eugene Johnson, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Verlin E. Johnson, was born on July 31, 1936 in Ottumwa, Iowa. He was raised on a farm near a small farming community of Blakesburg, Iowa, and graduated from Blakesburg High School in 1954. In high school he participated in varsity basketball and baseball and sang in the boy's chorus and quartet. He attended the University of Louisville, Kentucky, graduating with a BA in Math in August of 1960. While at the university, was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity and held many offices, including President in 1959. He entered Air Force Officers Training School (OTS) program and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant on March 28, 1961. He received Navigator rating at Harlingen, AFB, Texas, December 1961 and then went to Electronic Warfare Officer training at Mather AFB, California, graduating in October 1962.
After completing the Air Force survival training at Stead AFB Nevada he was assigned as staff Electronic Warfare Officer at Sioux City Air Defense Sector Sioux City Air Base lowa and served in assignment from December 1962 to December 1965. He was then assigned as staff Electronic Warfare Officer to the 29th Air Division (later 10th Air Force Hdqtrs) at Richards - Gebaur AFB Missouri. On August 16, 1966 he received orders to Southeast Asia. He was assigned to the F-105F "Wild Weasel" surface-to-air (SAM) killer group at Nellis AFB Nevada.
Major Johnson was crewed with Major Leo K. Thorness and they trained and flew all combat missions over North Vietnam together. He was flying on his 93rd mission over North Vietnam out of Takhli Thailand when he was shot down by an air-to-air missile from a Mig over the mountains west of Hanoi on April 30, 1967. He was captured by a mixture of Vietnamese regular army and militia a few hours after arriving on the ground. He was imprisoned in camps around Hanoi. For the largest portion of internment he was in the "Hanoi Hilton" and the "Zoo." In 1972 he was moved to a camp in the northern part of North Vietnam called "Dogpatch " and returned to the "Hanoi Hilton" January 20, 1973 just prior to release March 4, 1973.
Major Johnson was listed as MIA until August 1969 when he was confirmed as a POW. Though he suffered considerable infection as well as many boils and carbuncles during a large portion of his internment he kept in as good a physical condition as possible by a daily isometric exercise routine. Yet as a result of the inadequate diet and harsh conditions he lost 33 pounds between his capture and release. Major Johnson was not allowed to write home until 31 months after capture.
Major Johnson married a hometown girl Linda Peterson August 17, 1958 and they have three children: Jill, Eric and Todd. He intends to stay in the Air Force for at least another eight years and said "I hope I can make a reasonable contribution to the defense of the freedom of America." He also leaves this message: "The desire to live and faith in God Country family and my fellow prisoners kept me going during this long ordeal."
December 1996
Harold Johnson retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel. He and
Linda still live in Iowa.
