Johnson joined the Army from
Oakdale, Louisiana on November 26, 1941 and was assigned to the 32nd Infantry Division. On April 6, 1943, Sgt. Johnson was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action against entrenched Japanese at Senananda. By December 15, 1944, he was serving as a
Sergeant in Company K,
126th Infantry Regiment,
32nd Infantry Division during the
Battle of Leyte. On that day, near
Limon, Leyte, the
Philippines, he smothered the blast of two enemy-thrown
grenades with his body, sacrificing himself to protect those around him. For this action, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor ten months later, on October 2, 1945. Johnson was buried at the
Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. A bronze memorial plaque in his honor was mounted on the wall of the
Allen Parish courthouse in
Oberlin, Louisiana, a few miles south of his native
Oakdale. ==Medal of Honor citation==