James Houston Johnson Jr. (16 December 1937 – 18 August 2023) was a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He had over 33 years of active military service, culminating as Commanding General of the

First United States Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deli ...

, responsible for 325,000 soldiers, from 1991 to 1993.

Personal life

Johnson was born on 16 December 1937, in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, in 1960 and was commissioned in the infantry. He was also a graduate of the Armor Career Course, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. He attained a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg State College in 1979.

Military career

Johnson served as a troop leader in the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

at every level, from Rifle Platoon Leader to Airborne Division Commander. He commanded the

505th Parachute Infantry Regiment The 505th Infantry Regiment (505th IR), formerly and colloquially the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (505th PIR) and the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment (505th AIR), is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, one of four in ...

for three years, longer than anyone in the history of the Regiment, from 1980 to 1983. He commanded the 82nd Airborne Division longer than anyone since World War II, from 1988 to 1991. During his career, he was in combat on four separate occasions. This includes two tours in Vietnam: first, as an Advisor in the Mekong Delta in 1966 to 1967 and, later, an Infantry Battalion S3 with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), operating in the Ruong-Ruong Valley, just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in 1969 to 1970. As Assistant Division Commander for Operations of the 82nd Airborne Division, Johnson commanded all Army Forces during Operation Golden Pheasant, a show of force in Honduras in 1988. As Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, he became the only modern-day Commander to lead a division in combat in two separate conflicts. In 1989, he was the first jumper during the night airborne assault of Panama, known as

Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. In 1990 to 1991, he led the division during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf.

Awards and decorations

Among his military awards and decorations, Johnson was awarded the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

(with one OLC), the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(with one OLC), the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

(with one OLC), the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

(with two OLC's), the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

(with three OLC's) and the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

(with one OLC). Johnson earned the Combat Infantry Badge, the Expert Infantry Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge with Gold Combat Star, the Ranger Tab, the Jungle Expert Patch and the Army Staff Identification Badge. He also received British and Egyptian parachutist badges. In 2019, Johnson was inducted into the 82nd Airborne Division's Hall of Fame.

Post-military life

After retirement from active duty in 1993, Johnson's service to the nation continued in the Balkans as Director of a Joint Civil-Military Training Program for the Croatian Armed Forces. Later, he served as the Secretary of Defense's personal representative to the former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. In 2000, Johnson was nominated as the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment to the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Johnson died on 18 August 2023, and was buried with full military honors at Sarasota National Cemetery on 28 September 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, James H. 1937 births 2023 deaths People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals United States Army Rangers United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army personnel of the Gulf War Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania alumni Burials at national cemeteries Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)