Gen. Gerald W. Johnson

Johnson, Lt. Gen. Gerald W., USAF Retired, 83, of St. Petersburg, FL died Monday, September 9, 2002 at Bay Pines Veterans Hospital, Bay Pines, FL. Born in Owenton, Kentucky he moved to St. Petersburg in 2000 from Sarasota, FL where he had been a resident since 1986. General Johnson had a brilliant and exciting career in the USAF starting prior to Pearl Harbor as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot ending in 1974 as the Inspector General of the United States Air Force. During WWII he was a fighter pilot with the famous 56th Fighter Group in England flying the P-47 Thunderbolt Airplane. He was the first Ace in his group and the second Ace in the entire European Theater of Operations. After 15 months of combat and shooting down 18 German aircraft, he was shot down on a Strafing Mission, captured and spent the next 13 months in a German prison camp. During this time he was involved in several escape attempts. Although these were unsuccessful they resulted in much time in solitary confinement. During WWII he found flying to be both challenging and rewarding and something demanding great responsibility from the individual. Therefore, when the war ended he chose to remain in the USAF and make this his career. The years after WWII passed quickly and each new assignment placed greater demands on his talents and increased responsibility. He was involved in the Korean War and was Commander of an F-84 Fighter Wing. Following Korea, he led a flight of 20 F84G?s non-stop from Albany, Georgia to Lakenheath, England utilizing three air refuel lings from KC-97s in 1953. He then became the first Commander of the 4080th Reconnaissance Wing equipped with U-2s and RB-57s aircraft. After this and several staff assignments, he left fighter aircraft and went to bombers ? the B-47, B-52 and B-58. He commanded the 305 Bomb Wing and flew the Mach II B-58 for three years. During these years up to 1968 he had eight command assignments including a Jet Fighter Wing, B-52 Wing, B-58 Wing, U-2 Wing and two Air Divisions and had been promoted to Brigadier General and then Major General. He was then assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Strategic Air Command HQ. This assignment placed him in a position of responsibility and supervision of SAC?s daily B-52 and KC-135 involvement in the Vietnam War. After two years he received his third Star and was placed in command of the 8th Air Force with headquarters on the Island of Guam. Then in December 1972 President Nixon authorized the use of B-52s against strategic targets in North Vietnam. This was something he and SAC had wanted to do since 1966. In eleven nights and 729 B-52 sorties this terrible war of eight years was brought to an end. U.S. Prisoners held in North Vietnam were released in January 1973. His last assignment was Inspector General of the Air Force, The Pentagon. After retirement from the USAF, he became Vice President of a company in Washington, D.C. He then won a competitive contract with Saudi Arabia and spent three years in Riyadah. He wrote his autobiography ?Called To Command? which was published in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie I. Johnson, two children, Gerald W. Johnson, Jr., Alpine, TX and Deborah A. Bennett, Charlotte, NC; three adopted daughters, Michelle Damon, Little Rock, AR., Yvonne Leibold, Carmel, IN and Christine Harrison, Great Falls, VA and 16 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Lt. General Gerald W. Johnson Memorial Fund, C/O The Mighty 8th Air Force Heritage Museum, P.O. Box 1992, Savannah, GA 31402.