Vietnam veteran proud of family's military service

(Photo by Kris Todd) Retired U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gerald "Gerry" Johnson, of rural Spencer, views 13 pictures representing over 100 years of family military history. Besides Johnson's own portrait, the wall and upstairs room celebrate the service of Vernon Johnson, his late father who served 36 months on the front line of World War II; his late uncles: Maynard Johnson, who served four years in World War II; John Johnson, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Pacific Ocean Theater; John Engelkes, who served the U.S. Army during World War II in the Pacific, and Omke Engelkes, a U.S. Army soldier who was killed in Okinawa; his brothers: Dwight Johnson, who served four years with the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War era, and Larry Johnson, a U.S. Navy petty officer who served 22 years and currently resides in Japan; his children: Kimberly Hanson, of Crooks, S.D., who served 23 years in the South Dakota Air Guard, and Joseph Johnson, of Primghar, who served four years in the South Dakota and Tulsa, Okla. Air Guard; and Johnson's nephews: Michael Janssen, formerly of Sibley, who served four years in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, Patrick Janssen, who recently completed 18 months of duty in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division as a Black Hawk helicopter crew chief and Dylan Johnson, who completed four years at Minot, N.D. and one year in Tuley, Greenland and is currently stationed in Germany. [Order this photo]

An upstairs room in Gerald "Gerry" Johnson's Clay County farmhouse is filled to the brim with items representing well over 100 years of family military service.

The wall jutting from the room's door frame proudly hosts three framed, embroidered military patches of Johnson's late father and two late uncles. Vernon Johnson, his father, served in the 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division during World War II. Maynard Johnson, his father's brother who farmed near Sheldon and Sibley, served in the 8th Air Force during the World War II European Theater. John Johnson, another paternal uncle, also served in the U.S. Navy's Pacific Ocean Theater during World War II.

"I am proud of the fact I served my country, and I'm proud of all the ones who also are serving it," Johnson, a retired U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt., said the Saturday before Veterans Day in the room displaying his memorabilia. "Our boys over in Iraq and Afghanistan, I take my hat off to them. We don't have a draft now, so it's strictly volunteer. So you've got to give these guys a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate and giving it all. I understand some of what they're going through. ... I'm just glad that the American public appreciates the military again. In Vietnam, it wasn't quite like that."

Unlike many who were drafted, Johnson chose to enlist during the Vietnam War. The former Bigelow, Minn. resident served active duty from February 1961 until 1989.

After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Johnson completed an aircraft mechanic school in Amarillo, Texas. He was then transferred to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, to Ki Sawyer, Mich. to Little Rock, Ark. and to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to the presidential unit.

The Air Force-trained aircraft mechanic began working on B-47 Stratojet bombers. Before long, Johnson was fixing and maintaining KC-135 Stratotankers. In this role, he visited Panama seven times, as well as the countries of Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Okinawa, Spain, Sweden, Norway, England and nearly every state in the United States.

Johnson then worked as a mechanic on a VC-140 Jetstar during the Presidents Johnson and Nixon era.

"Back then, in 1967-69, we hauled congressmen, cabinet members, high-ranking generals and people like that, including people from overseas, like prime ministers. It was really an interesting unit to be in," he recalled.

After re-enlisting, Johnson was sent to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha.

He was then deployed from 1971 until 1972, as a "transit maintenance" worker, at Bien Hoa Air Base and the Tansanut Air Base near Saigon.

"We had lots of attacks at night there," Johnson said of the Bien Hoa base. "The enemy shot in there with rockets and stuff like that about every night. Bien Hoa had a big sign that read: Welcome to Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam -- Rocket Alley. That was true. We did get quite a few there."

"I was very fortunate," he added. "I didn't carry a gun. I carried a toolbox. Every branch of the service has its function, and they all work together. My part of it was keeping airplanes flying. And they went out and did what they did."

Following his service overseas, Johnson was sent to Grand Forks, N.D. for four years before being transferred back to Offutt Air Base. He wrapped up his active military service in Sioux Falls and Tulsa, Okla. It was during this 12-year time period that he began working on A-7 Corsair airplanes, one of which is currently situated at the Sioux Falls airport. Johnson also worked as a mechanic for American Airlines and BizJet International while living in Tulsa.

When the Vietnam veteran moved "back home" to northwest Iowa, he serviced aircraft at the former Great Lakes Airlines in Spencer.

"The stuff I worked on first was what I call 'big wrench items,' because it had a lot of big hardware in it," Johnson chuckled as he compared it to today's airplanes. "Nowadays, things are quite technical."

The Clay County veteran officially retired from the U.S. Air Force in July 2002. Johnson chuckled as he reported it only took him a couple hours to get used to being retired.

"I just retired from that," he said. "I didn't quit working. I'm still doing stuff."

The upstairs room in his home, meanwhile, hosts some of that "stuff." Besides his collectible Volkswagens, souvenirs from another hobby are also positioned throughout. Johnson has been making Gerry's County Fair Style Barbecue Sauce, which is served exclusively at Smokin' Jakes in Arnolds Park and available for purchase at the Fareway grocery store in Spencer, for the last 20 years.

Vietnamese dolls and slippers, family war-related metals and ribbons, an original leather flying helmet worn on the B-17 bomber aircraft during World War II, the framed flag which draped his father's casket, his uncle Omke Engelkes' purple heart, a Red Cross "ditty" bag, a Norwegian officer's military hat and a former Australian official's hat are among the special items gathered during his enlisted-officer days found in the room.

(Photo by Kris Todd) In the midst of a room which hosts collectibles and many family military memorabilia, Gerry Johnson, 66, holds an April 1, 1961, picture of his graduating boot camp class that also has his military dog tags hanging on its frame. [Order this photo]

"I used to take care of the ambassador's airplane when I was in Vietnam, Saigon, and he gave me that hat," Johnson explained as he held it out for inspection.

The veteran smiled as he explained U.S. Air Force tales are told every Wednesday and Friday morning at Hy-Vee between himself, Orlie Utley and Stuart Seely, both U.S. Air Force retirees. Johnson added that Seely, a fellow Vietnam War veteran, flew around the world during his military service aboard the C-130 Hercules, a military transport and tactical aircraft.

Since retiring, the two men have continued to volunteer four weeks each year to assist with tours and rides aboard an original B-17 World War II bomber known as a "flying fortress" and nicknamed the "Aluminum Overcast."

"It's strictly a labor of love," Johnson said with a smile. "That's 1938 technology there."

Looking back over his service to his country, the 66-year-old without hesitation stated, "I'd do it all over again. I enjoyed my military career."