Houston native Jimmy Johnson saved lives. As a Dustoff medic in Vietnam, the young Army soldier was the central member of a four-person crew who flew unarmed into battle every day – sometimes several times a day – to rescue people hurt in the war.
Johnson flew 800 missions and is credited with saving more than 2,000 patients during his service with the 54th Medical Detachment Helicopter Ambulance company during the Vietnam War. He earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his work in Vietnam, a military honor awarded for outstanding bravery demonstrated during aerial flight. He is also the first African-American to be inducted into the Dustoff Hall of Fame.
After the war, Johnson took what he had learned during the war and carried it through, obtaining a doctorate in public health nursing, which he used during a career working in military hospitals around the world.
Among the pilots with whom Johnson flew was Major General Patrick Brady, who earned the Congressional of Medal Honor as a Dustoff pilot. Though not originally from Texas, General Brady now makes the Lone Star State his home.
We honor you, Jimmy Johnson.
