19 Jun 2020

Laughlin Honor Guard assists with Congressman Johnson’s final goodbye

The Dyess Air Force Base honor guard program manager, reached out to me unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 regarding assistance for active duty military funeral honors for U.S. Congressman, retired Col. Samuel Robert Johnson, former prisoner of war and prior Thunderbird pilot. Johnson was a decorated fighter pilot in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The colonel was shot down in North Vietnam, suffering a broken arm and broken back. He was captured as a POW and endured torture and solitary confinement for nearly seven years. He was released in Operation Homecoming and returned to the U.S. The veteran went on to give 28 more years in service in the Texas House of Representatives.