Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. is a retired colonel of the United States Army. He was born in Jackson Barracks, New Orleans, Louisiana [Annotator's Note: Jackson Barracks is the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard] in June 1923. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945], his father was in the Louisiana National Guard. Times were hard. His father adopted his sister's five children when she died. Johnson started working in the early 1930s instead of going to school. In July 1938, when Johnson was 15 years old, he joined the Louisiana National Guard. He served in the "Washington Artillery", the 141st Field Artillery [Annotator's Note: now the 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, Louisiana Army National Guard]. When he first joined the unit, Johnson was a truck driver and artilleryman. His battery used French 75s [Annotator's Note: Canon de 75mm modele 1897]. The news kept everyone aware of what the Germans were doing in France. The United States started mobilizing troops in 1941. Johnson's unit was inducted into the regular Army in January 1941. He was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where he did additional training. The 37th Infantry Division, from Ohio, had a song they would sing. On 7 December 1941, Johnson had been on leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. On his way back to base, he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. From there, the men trained more to meet the commitment of the mobilization. There was a lot of camaraderie at the base. They all knew why they were there and cooperated with each other. After leaving Camp Shelby, Johnson was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His unit was given 155mm howitzers [Annotator's Note: M1 155mm howitzer]. Alfred remained there for four months before returning to Camp Shelby. His unit served in the Louisiana Maneuvers [Annotator's Note: series of Army exercises held in Louisiana in 1941]. Johnson was a truck driver and would use logs to simulate ammunition. One night while driving, he hit a wooden bridge. The truck managed to cross the bridge before it collapsed, but the howitzer he was towing fell into the creek. At night, the drivers could not use their lights. One of his friends in Germany was killed during blackout conditions when he drove into the back of a 155mm "Long Tom" gun [Annotator's Note: M1 155mm howitzer]. Johnson also participated in the Tennessee Maneuvers [Annotator's Note: series of seven large scale training exercises in Middle Tennessee, 1942 to 1944] before going to Camp Blanding, Florida. He took a test to see what his capabilities were for overseas duty. Many of the men transferred to the Air Force or went to OCS [Annotator's Note: officer candidate school]. Johnson was attached to the men he served with, so he decided to stay in the unit. His father had been in the 141st Field Artillery and served along the Mexican Border.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. was sent to Camp Gordon [Annotator's Note: now Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia] to prepare for overseas deployment. He arrived there in June or July 1943 and left in August. At the time, Johnson was issued two bags of clothing, one was loaded into the ship and the other was carried by the soldier. He was issued special fatigues in case of a gas attack. After the Pearl Harbor attack [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Japanese-Americans were put in internment camps. When Johnson was leaving New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York], Nisei [Annotator's Note: first generation Japanese-American] Japanese were enlisted in the military. Their unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, was on the same ship as Johnson's unit [Annotator's Note: 141st Field Artillery Battalion], the USS Parker. They went to Oran [Annotator's Note: Oran, Algeria], North Africa. The war had already moved to Bizerte [Annotator's Note: Bizerte, Tunisia], but it was almost over when Johnson arrived. He camped out near Bizerte for a few months. The Americans invaded Sicily [Annotator's Note: Operation Husky, 9 July to 17 August 1943], but Johnson was not involved in that fight. He landed in Naples, Italy. He remained there for a few weeks while his equipment was unloaded and assembled. The front lines were north of Naples along a mountainous area near Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy], Anzio [Annotator's Note: Anzio, Italy], and Cassino [Annotator's Note: Cassino, Italy]. Johnson's unit was in the VI Corps and participated in much of the combat in the country. Johnson provide artillery for several infantry divisions, along with Special Forces units. One of the Special Forces soldiers came from the Louisiana National Guard, Brigadier General Raymond Hufft [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Raymond Frederick Hufft]. He visited Johnson's unit while they were in combat. Johnson was near the town of Venafro [Annotator's Note: Venafro, Italy], near Mount Pantano. Johnson transported ammunition for the unit. During heavy combat, he would go to his gun crews to help with whatever they needed. At Venafro, Johnson was on a line that included French Moroccans [Annotator's Note: Moroccan Goumier, indigenous Moroccan soldier auxiliary units of French Army of Africa, 1809 to 1956]. During Christmas 1943, his guns were firing against a German attack. The French Moroccans showed up with pack mules full of cognac [Annotator's Note: alcoholic beverage]. They spent the evening drinking wine and cognac. They could not understand each other, but still had a good time. The French Moroccans were infantry units, so they were in the front fighting, but their supply lines were mixed with Johnson's supply line. Their troops had white officers, but the NCOs [Annotator's Note: non-commissioned officers] were people of color. They wore large coats, moved with mules, and had their own artillery guns. Mount Pantano was hotly contested, and casualties were high. Graves Registration units were constantly taking bodies off of the mountain. One of Johnson's troops was trying to help them when he stepped on a landmine and lost his legs.

The Allied campaign in Italy was cold and miserable. Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. fought with some Mexican-American troops. The men had to stand in snow and sleet in the gun pits. One night while on a firing mission, one of them men slipped and accidentally pulled the firing lanyard. When the gun recoiled, it hit the soldier in the head and killed him. The front line was moving towards the Volturno River [Annotator's Note: in Italy] and the troops started looking to bomb Cassino [Annotator's Note: Monte Cassino, Italy]. Johnson's unit [Annotator's Note: 141st Field Artillery Battalion] was pulled out of the line one night and sent to Naples [Annotator's Note: Naples, Italy]. He was told to get ready for the invasion of Anzio [Annotator's Note: Anzio, Italy]. The German artillery was effective. The German air force would drop various types of bombs in the rear of the American positions. The personnel bombs would inflict shrapnel damage on anyone above ground. Several troops were lost on Anzio beachhead because they were in the center of the beachhead. The Americans had to watch out for night bombing and strafing runs. Every unit had machine gun platoons that would fire at the planes. If those weapons platoons were stationed on mountain peaks, planes would fly between them and cause friendly fire incidents. Some men were hit by bullets while watching dog fights. Johnson was far enough in the rear that he did not experience much artillery or mortar fire. Before the breakout at Anzio [Annotator's Note: in late May 1944], he experienced heavy fire because he was so close to the front line.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. was loaded into a ship at Naples [Annotator's Note: Naples, Italy] before the invasion at Anzio [Annotator's Note: Anzio, Italy]. There was not much fighting in the initial invasion because the Germans were surprised. The Americans were able to get inland several miles before being stopped. The Germans were able to reinforce the beachhead and capture the mountain range. In February 1944, Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] made a surrender ultimatum to the Allied troops at Anzio. The 141st [Annotator's Note: 141st Field Artillery Battalion] was in the center of the beachhead in the Pontine Marshes [Annotator's Note: marshland in Lazio region, Italy]. They were shelled by German artillery from all directions. Over 12 hours, they suffered severe casualties and losses of equipment. The area was muddy and the ambulance that was moving the wounded out got stuck. They were near the Mussolini Canal [Annotator's Note: named after Italian fascist dictator Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini; also know as il Duce]. The ambulance had three wounded soldiers in the vehicle. When the driver got out of the vehicle, he was wounded by a German barrage of fire. Johnson was able to get a truck, pull the stuck ambulance out of the mud, and drive the wounded men to a hospital. Johnson was awarded a Silver Star [Annotator's Note: the Silver Star Medal is the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy] for those actions. To prepare for the breakout, the men would have to work at night digging gun pits. At daybreak, if they could not get back to their lines, they would hide in nearby culverts. They stored ammunition and gun powder in the culverts. They would remain there until night when they would go back to work. When the barrage opened up, Johnson's guns were moved forward towards Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy]. At the time, General Hufft [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Raymond Frederick Hufft], who was a captain in the Special Forces, visited the Louisiana Guardsmen [Annotator's Note: the 141st Field Artillery Battalion is a Louisiana Army National Guard unit]. The Special Forces troops were able to do good work. When Hitler announced his ultimatum, the Italian civilians in the area were evacuated. The Americans found casks of wine, so they would fill their water cans with wine. Down the highway from Naples to Rome, a German motorcycle messenger would drive between the line doing tricks. One day, a bazooka [Annotator's Note: man portable recoilless anti-tank weapon] was brought up and used to destroy the motorcycle trooper. After the breakout, the Americans went towards a town in the mountains. The Germans were driven into a valley and over a mountain by foot. Vehicles were left everywhere. Rome was captured. Johnson was pulled back to Naples before being sent to Southern France.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. landed in Sainte-Maxime [Annotator's Note: Saint-Maxime, France], Southern France and traveled up the Rhone Valley. Some of his artillery pieces were lost during the journey. He traveled to Marseilles [Annotator's Note: Marseilles, France] to replace the missing weapons. While there, Johnson saw the scuttled French fleet. His battery commander, a forward observer, and another officer were lost while registering the artillery. They were ambushed by a German patrol. The patrol killed the commander after he surrendered. The other two men were wounded and were later found in a French hospital. The Germans left them because the Americans were close by. Johnson continued into the Rhone Valley until he reached the Vogues Mountains [Annotator's Note: a mountain range in eastern France]. It was contested land between the French and Germans. The Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by Germany in the 1930s] ran through the area. Johnsons unit used M5 tractors [Annotator's Note: M5 13 ton high speed tractor] to tow the artillery, however the road were frozen, making it impossible to drive the vehicle. They had to weld metal to the tracks of the tractor to make it work on the frozen roads. The Germans would hang wires between trees to decapitate Americans that drove through in Jeeps with the windshield down. The Americans started welding metal bars to the front of the Jeeps so they could protect themselves from the wires. In Italy, Johnson had to contend with the mud. The weather was bad, and rivers would overflow. It reminded him of gumbo [Annotator's Note: gumbo is soup like dish popular in Louisiana]. Johnson was near Strasbourg [Annotator's Note: Strasbourg, France] and crossed the Rhine River into Manheim, Germany on Easter Sunday, 1945 [Annotator's Note: 1 April 1945].

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. moved south after crossing the Rhine [Annotator's Note: Rhine River, Germany] and entered Austria. The Germans were deserting to get back home. While moving towards Innsbruck [Annotator's Note: Innsbruck, Austria], the Autobahn [Annotator's Note: German interstate system] was being used as an airport. Johnson saw German fighter planes all over the place. His unit turned around and headed to Munich [Annotator's Note: Munich, Germany], where POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] camps were being liberated. Some of the camp internees escaped and raped and pillaged nearby towns. Johnson's unit [Annotator's Note: 141st Field Artillery Battalion] had to deal with the displaced persons. He entered a hotel used by the SS [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] in Munich. He patrolled the area and watched over the displaced persons. He had to use his trucks to move Germans to the rear for demobilization. He remained there for about three months before the military started rotating troops back home. They used a points system [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] to figure out who would return home. Johnson was reassigned to the 736th Field Artillery Battalion elsewhere in Germany. He was considered new blood, and the other troops tried to make him clean their guns. He refused because he was on the way home. He was loaded onto a troop train that was supposed to bring him to Le Havre [Annotator's Note: Le Havre, France]. Outside of Paris [Annotator's Note: Paris, France], Johnson's train hit a wagon full of hay. A fire erupted and everyone had to evacuate. Trucks were sent from Paris to pick up the troops. They were sent to a former POW camp until transportation to Le Havre could be found. Johnson remained there for a few weeks and had to do guard duty. Everyone was mad about the assignment. Some of the troops were able to contact Congressman F. Edward Hebert [Annotator's Note: Congressman Felix Edward Hebert, congressman from New Orleans, Louisiana], who got the men onto a Victory ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship] that took the troops out to sea. They hit a storm and eventually made it to Fort Dix, New Jersey [Annotator's Note: in Burlington County, New Jersey]. Once there, Johnson was sent to Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] for demobilization.

[Annotator's Note: Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. talks about local history.] People were allowed to move onto the old Chalmette Battlefield [Annotator's Note: the battlefield where the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 was fought]. A general and his family lived on the battlefield. In the 1930s, the WPA [Annotator's Note: Works Progress Administration] rebuilt the battlefield. They built the house that now sits on the field. Johnson used to walk to the battlefield and pick pecans. Across the street was a grass field that served as an airport. Johnson would catch crawfish behind the field when he was young. The general was a friend of General LeBlanc [Annotator's Note: US Army Brigadier General Robert J. LeBlanc, Louisiana Army National Guard] and they both loved to cook gumbo [Annotator's Note: a type of soup made in Louisiana] and other Cajun [Annotator's Note: Cajuns are an ethnic group primarily living in south-central Louisiana] food. Johnson knew where the Higgins Boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP] were built off of Chef Menteur Highway [Annotator's Note: United States Highway 90, Louisiana]. After World War 2, the building where sea planes were built and tested became the WAA, War Assets Administration. They took left over equipment from the war and people could buy the materials. It later became a factory that made plumbing fixtures.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. returned to Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] with some of his friends. His parents were there to meet him. He was processed out of the military. Johnson wanted to stay in the military, but he was discharged anyway. His dad brought him and some other men home. When he got back home, General Fleming [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Raymond F. Fleming, Adjutant General of Louisiana] asked Johnson's father about him. His dad worked at Jackson Barracks [Annotator's Note: Jackson Barracks is the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard] during the war. Johnson went to Jackson Barracks and joined the Louisiana National Guard. When the country first went to war, the state guards were called up for service. The state guards were demobilized and then started to recruit men for service. Johnson got married and had two kids. He remained there until 1948 when he reenlisted in the regular Army. He served in World War 2, Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953], and Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975]. He retired in July 1974. At the end of the war, Johnson fought against young kids and old men. Many of them would just surrender or run away. The Americans did not want to shoot them unless they shot first. The war was fluid. Johnson received a shrapnel wound in France. It got infected and he had to stay in a hospital. He was also wounded in Vietnam. The war matured Johnson. He was born and raised in the Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945], so he learned how to look out for himself and was concerned about security. He had the opportunity to go to school and took night classes at the University of Maryland [Annotator's Note: in College Park, Maryland]. Johnson retired as a colonel. Johnson later found out that President Roosevelt's [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] strong will and cooperation with the British, was what helped get America in war. The Congress did not want to go to war. World War 1 era ships would anchor near the mouth of the Mississippi [Annotator's Note: Mississippi River] and would be sold to the Japanese. They used those ships to prepare for the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The Japanese started their war in China in 1937. Johnson remembers seeing those ships that were sold to the Japanese. Johnson remembers crossing the old twin span bridges going to Slidell [Annotator's Note: Slidell, Louisiana] when he heard about the attack. He was on his way to Camp Shelby at the time. Everyone was trying to get into the service as the military mobilized.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. believes World War 2 liberated much of the world. It made people realize they had to take care of dictators before they can take away freedoms. Johnson gets angry when he sees people not supporting the military. [Annotator's Note: Johnson shows emotion.] He understands it is a part of liberty but thinks it can be outlandish. When he returned from World War 2, there was not much recognition, but people knew he served. Johnson did not have issues from civilians because of his service. Johnson thinks troops that served in Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953] did not have it as bad as Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975] veterans. When he returned from Vietnam, he could not wear his uniform when he left the airplane. He thinks some Gulf War [Annotator's Note: Gulf War, codenamed Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, 2 August 1990 to 28 February 1991] veterans experienced that as well, but not as badly [Annotator's Note: Johnson shows emotion.] Johnson sees the loss of life and expenditure of resources for war as a negative. Everyone is affected by war, especially the families. Japan sent a group to the United States that were supposed to declare war against the country, but they never did. Instead, the Japanese attacked [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] and much of the population was upset about it. They thought the government should have told the Americans they would declare war. When the Japanese went into China, they slaughtered people. Johnson does not think war is something to be looked forward to. Johnson thinks The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] helps make people aware of what happened, good and bad. He is a charter member of the Museum, the WWII Memorial [Annotator's Note: The National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.], Korean War Memorial [Annotator's Note: Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.], and Vietnam Memorial [Annotator's Note: Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.]. He has bricks dedicated to friends and families.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. joined the National Guard after he returned from World War 2. He worked as an aid for the Adjutant General. He was given a commission but wanted to go back into the military. Johnson met his wife, who worked at Jackson Barracks [Annotator's Note: Jackson Barracks is the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard]. They got married and had two kids. While working for General Fleming [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Raymond Fleming], another general took notice of Johnson and asked if he would consider returning to the regular Army. Johnson wanted security but working for the National Guard entailed politics. He knew if he returned to the Army and stayed for 20 years, he could retire. He told General Wolfe [Annotator's Note: General James Wolfe] he would reenlist if he could keep his same rank. He was able to convince his wife to let him return to the Army. He remained at Jackson Barracks for three years. When the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953] started in 1950, he was called up as an officer. Johnson spoke to General Fleming, who was working in Washington, D.C. The General got him a job in the Pentagon, where he remained until 1953. By that time, the Army had helicopters, so Johnson decided to go to flight school. Because he was in artillery, Johnson had to get permission. He was able to transfer into the transportation corps, who trained him as a helicopter pilot. He remained in that program and became a Master Army Aviator. He qualified in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. He was also given various commands, including a brigade detail in Fort Rucker, Alabama. He flew several types of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Johnson was an instructor pilot in C-47s [Annotator's Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft]. Johnson is a member of the Gooney Bird Association [Annotator's Note: Gooney Bird is a nickname for the C-47]. In 1954, Johnson flew people from communist countries around in Korea. He did not cross the DMZ [Annotator's Note: demilitarized zone]. Those people were sent to Pusan [Annotator's Note: Pusan, South Korea], Seoul [Annotator's Note: Seoul, South Korea], and along the border of the country. Johnson was a member of the 13th Helicopter Company [Annotator's Note: 13th Transportation Company (Helo)]. When Johnson went to Seoul, the Korean War was over. They were sending troops back to the United States. Johnson was a trained maintenance officer and would train crew chiefs to be pilots.

Alfred A. Johnson, Jr. went to Vietnam in January 1964 and served in the Mekong Delta [Annotator's Note: located in Western Vietnam] until December of that year. He was in the town of Can Tho [Annotator's Note, Can Tho, Vietnam], where three helicopter companies were stationed. He would fly from Saigon [Annotator's Note: Saigon, South Vietnam; now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam] to the end of the delta. The land was flat with canals and tree lines. The enemy could see them flying for miles. Johnson was the deputy battalion commander of the Delta Aviation Battalion, later redesignated the 13th Combat Aviation Battalion. He ran many of the combat aviation operations in the delta. He ran eagle operations, supporting the ARVN 9th Infantry Division and 21st Infantry Division. They were search and destroy missions. The ARVN troops were young and they all had families in the area. They were good fighters, but there were infiltration issues. The troops never really knew who they were fighting. Johnson ran three airfields in the area. In the early stages of the war, Johnson and his men had to man the airfields themselves, and the outer perimeters were manned by ARVN troops. He was mortared and was in firefights. The food for the base was bought from the Navy in Saigon and flown in by the Air Force. Johnson knew who he was fighting in World War 2 and in Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953], but in Vietnam, the men were on their own, to a degree. The food was pretty good but was brought in from other places. The planes would burn up a lot of fuel, so gasoline had to be trucked in. Those trucks would be stopped by the VC [Annotator's Note: Viet Cong, communist guerrilla fighters in the Vietnam War] who demanded money. The Americans were not able to shoot the VC without hitting the gas trucks. Helicopters would be shot down. The ARVN infantry divisions had ranger companies in them that would be dropped into VC controlled areas to try and surround the enemy. The regular infantry would move around using boats and try to get around the enemy. On one of the flights that Johnson was running, a helicopter was hit, knocking off the tail. The nine Vietnamese rangers in the helicopter were thrown out of the vehicle to their deaths. The helicopter hit some trees and blew up. Johnson managed to save the copilot and a crew chief. Both men died from their burn wounds. When Johnson left Vietnam in December, the American presence was being built up. When the Gulf of Tonkin [Annotator's Note: Gulf of Tonkin incident, also called the USS Maddox incident, 2 August 1964] happened, everything went wild. There were many coups in Vietnam during the time. There was corruption and an unwillingness to fight. Johnson enjoyed being in the military. It was rough, but he made a life out of it. His family suffered a lot. It was tough when he had to leave, but the Army was good to his family. His wife died in 1991, but he was able to remarry. His daughter's house in Pass Christian [Annotator's Note: Pass Christian, Mississippi] was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina [Annotator's Note: Category 5 Hurricane that devastated New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf South on 29 August 2005. His parent's survived Hurricane Betsy [Annotator's Note: Category 4 Hurricane that devastated New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, 4 September 1965].