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First Name
Richard
Middle Name
E.
Last Name
Johnson
Birthdate
Hometown
San Francisco, California
Rank
Lieutenant Colonel
Service Branch
Air Force
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Richard Johnson enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Air Force on February 18, 1955, and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant and awarded his Navigator Wings on June 6, 1957. After completing B-47 Stratojet Combat Crew Training, he served as a Navigator with the 360th Bomb Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, from January 1958 to October 1959, when he began B-52 Stratofortress Combat Crew Training and then joined the 340th Bomb Squadron at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, as a Radar-Navigator. His next assignment was to the 325th Bomb Squadron at Fairchild AFB, Washington, from January 1968 to April 1970, when he returned to the 340th BS at Blytheville. Colonel Johnson was forced to eject from his stricken B-52 the first night of Operation Linebacker II, on December 18, 1972.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Lt. Col. Richard Johnson was released during Operation Homecoming on March 29, 1973. Johnson was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Scott AFB, Illinois, and then received an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to Memphis State University to complete his bachelor's degree in Business Administration. After completing his degree, Colonel Johnson returned to Blytheville AFB, where he retired from the Air Force on December 31, 1978.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Bronze Star
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release