Jean D. "JD" Johnson volunteered for service with the Navy shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] with a few of his friends. Born in 1923, he was an only child to his parents. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], he grew up on a peanut farm and kept dairy cows. He life was very busy, but he enjoyed it. With war on the horizon, his small-town annexed land to the United States Military to create Tinker Air Force Base [Annotator's Note: Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma]. Johnson attended high school, but never graduated. After he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted a few days later because he wanted to get back at the Japanese. He chose the Navy because he enjoyed swimming and diving. He was also interested in being a radioman. He would eventually be assigned to the USS Balao (SS-285) and served on it for most of his service. Her also served on the USS Bowfin (SS-287) because it needed a Chief Electronics Technician. The war ended during his first patrol on the Bowfin. After he was enlisted, he spent two weeks in Los Angeles [Annotator's Note: Los Angeles, California] for indoctrination. After he became second class radioman, he was asked what he be interested in. He decided he wanted to be on submarines because it appealed to him. He volunteered for service in submarines and was sent to the submarine school in New London, Connecticut. He attended classes, studied every system and equipment on the boat, and trained out in the sea. After completing submarine school, Johnson was assigned to the new construction of Balao. Although originally trained as a radio operator, once aboard the Balao Johnson changed his rating to Electronics Technician. Out of all the equipment he had to maintain, the radar gave him the most trouble.

Jean D. "JD" Johnson volunteered for Navy service and was assigned as a radioman on the newly constructed USS Balao (SS-285). Submarines were often escorted by destroyers so American bombers would not think it was an enemy submarine and try to attack it. The crewmen did not know where they were heading until after a day in course. The inside of the USS Balao was very bulky with equipment everywhere, and the crewmen had to know where everything was located. All the crewmen also had to know how to operate all the positions. Because the crewmen really depended on each other to do their jobs, there was a close camaraderie between them. In the living quarters, he slept on bunks. There were not enough bunks for all the crewmen, so they had to "hot bunk it." Crewmen stood four hours on watch and eight hours off. Crewman received four hours to eat, relax, and study. The other four hours was maintaining the equipment. Everyone learned how to be a look out. When crewmen heard the diving sound, they had to get down into the submarine through a 36-inch hole because in a matter of a minute, the submarine would be submerged 100 feet into the ocean. Once submarines are released from their escort, they are considered "in combat." The main role of the submarine is to sink enemy vessels. They also lay mines [Annotator's Note: stationary explosive device triggered by physical contact], transport Marines, and do reconnaissance. There were around 60 to 70 crewmen on the submarine. Being on the submarine was tight quarters with eight major rooms. The crewmen must be very disciplined because a simple mistake can cause a catastrophic event for the submarine. Something as simple as closing the hatch properly so when the submarine submerges is vital to the safety of the crew. Johnson's watch was in the radio room. After completing submarine school, the next phase is the practicum. A student had to stand in every compartment of the submarine and learn how to operate each position in order to receive his pin. The torpedoes were very erratic. They often malfunctioned which would possibly endanger the submarine.

Jean D. "JD" Johnson volunteered for Navy service and was assigned as a radioman on the newly constructed USS Balao (SS-285). On the Balao, there were six torpedo tubes forward aft that carried 24 torpedoes during one patrol mission, which was the prime weapon used against the enemy. There was also a 5-inch gun [Annotator's Note: five-inch, .25 caliber naval gun] on the deck. The submarine was also stocked with small arms equipment as well. After the Balao had its shakedown period [Annotator's Note: a cruise to evaluate the performance of a naval vessel and its crew], it left for the Pacific in June 1943. They sailed through the Panama Canal and stopped in Cuba to refuel. Johnson made nine patrol runs with the Balboa before being transferred to the USS Bowfin (SS-287). His first patrol run was based out of Brisbane [Annotator's Note: Brisbane, Australia]. [Annotator's Note: Interviewer pauses interview at 0:55:04.000.] The Balao was not very successful on their first patrol because the skipper [Annotator's Note: captain or commander of a naval vessel] wanted to use the vessel mainly for reconnaissance and was not aggressive enough. They passed up very good opportunities to fire on a vessel, but the skipper did not want to take chances of evading from the enemy. In the first two patrols, the Balao had several faulty torpedoes. They are often premature or hit the ship and do not explode. The Navy would not believe the skippers that the torpedoes were faulty. On his first patrol, he only recalls picking up the enemy on the radar but never having a visual. Johnson was never afraid that he might die because he was always too busy to think about it. On the third patrol run, his submarine received a new skipper who was more aggressive towards the enemy.

Jean D. "JD" Johnson's [Annotator's Note: a radioman on the USS Balao (SS-285)] second patrol scored six hits, severely damaging five and sinking one. Each patrol lasted up to seven weeks. They often refueled from a tender vessel [Annotator's Note: type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines]. In between patrols, the crewmen are given free time. This allowed the submarine and the equipment on it to be given maintenance by a relief work crew. Johnson often stayed on the submarine because he wanted to see what the crewmen were doing to his radar while they worked on it. On the third patrol run, his submarine received a new skipper [Annotator's Note: captain or commander of a naval vessel] who was aggressive towards the enemy. They came in contact with, and attacked, a Japanese task force of two heavy cruisers and two destroyers. Admiral Nimitz [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Sr., Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet] often assigned submarines to areas according to the submarines' skippers. After World War 2, Johnson was called to service and was assigned to the submarine USS Becuna (SS-319). He saw action during the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. When they prepare for depth charge [Annotator's Note: also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum], all crewmen have their special station. Each compartment is working to make sure everything is working. [Annotator's Note: Video break at 1:17:50.000.] Depth charges sometimes gave the Balao some trouble, but they were always able to evade damage. On one incident, Johnson was operating the radar and detected a plane. The Balao dove into the ocean, but one of the enlisted men accidentally turned the latch of the hatch incorrectly. Water started pouring in. The quartermaster [Annotator's Note: watch assistant to Officer of the Deck and Navigator; perform ship control, navigation, and watch duties] and the officer of the deck had to come up and relatch it. Parts of the sonar and radar room flooded. They headed back to Brisbane [Annotator's Note: Brisbane, Australia] to drain the water and make repairs.

Jean D. "JD" Johnson [Annotator's Note: a radioman on the USS Balao (SS-285) enjoyed free time at Brisbane [Annotator's Note: Brisbane, Australia] as a liberty port. Johnson did not enjoy his liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] as much as others. He would stay on the submarine and watch the relief crew work on his equipment. When he has liberty at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii], he often stood watches. There was a lot more to do in Pearl Harbor than Brisbane. They crewman were allowed to travel around, go to the beaches, and goes to bars and clubs. Johnson did nine patrols with the Balao before he was transferred to the USS Bowfin (SS-287). He replaced the Chief Electronics Technician because the original guy fell ill and could not perform his duties. Johnson was on the Bowfin's tenth mission when the war concluded. After the war, the Bowfin was decommissioned, but recommissioned for the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. The United States submarine fleet contributed greatly to the Pacific theater because they kept the merchant ships delivering goods to the islands. The Bowfin was called to return to New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] after the Japanese surrendered. The Navy allowed the public to view the interior of the Bowfin when they were stationed at the port. Johnson was discharged from active duty in December 1945 at Norman, Oklahoma with the rank of Chief Electronics Technician. He remained in the Navy Reserves. Johnson attended school and got a job with United Aircraft Products. In the late 1940s he was recalled to active duty and assigned to the submarine USS Becuna (SS-319) and saw action during the Korean War. After a few years on active duty, Johnson was again discharged from the Navy, this time for good. Johnson returned home and help his parents on their peanut farm.

Jean D. "JD" Johnson's most memorable experience of World War 2 was the time his submarine [Annotator's Note: the USS Balao (SS-285)] got depth charged [Annotator's Note: also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum] on his six-patrol run. His submarine sank several ships exposing themselves to the enemy. The fifth patrol run was also very memorable because they had sunk several vessels and became exposed to three destroyers that released depth charges. Somehow the USS Balao (SS-285) was able to evade the enemy but had to remain submerged for several hours. Johnson fought in World War 2 because the Japanese bombed Hawaii [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] and he felt compelled to fight against them. He father was also a World War 1 [Annotator's Note: World War 1, global war originating in Europe; 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918] veteran and Johnson was very patriotic. The war changed his life because he left farm life and matured during his service. When he returned from the Navy, he knew he did not want to be a farmer for the rest of his life.