Johnson, from Pontiac, IL, served in the Army Air Corps as Bombardier of "The Venus" B-17 bomber during World War II.

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On August 27th, 1943, 22 B-17 Flying Fortresses took off from Great Britain, After crossing the coast, they are attacked by German fighters. "The Venus" became separated, and six ME-109's pounce on the American bomber, and it crashes near Arras, France. The pilot, co-pilot, and gunner are killed, and Johnson was injured and taken as a prisoner-of-war. Johnson's leg was so badly injured that it had to be removed by an Australian doctor who was also a P.O.W. He was a P.O.W. in Germany for a year and a half, and was sent to various POW camps, ending with Stalag Luft III. He later was liberated and passed away in 1994.