James D. Johnson Interview, 2009-11-16 [MilColl OH 436]

NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES OFFICE OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY Military Collection State Archives of North Carolina James D. Johnson Interview Summary MilColl OH 436 Interviewee: James D. Johnson Interviewer: Sion Harrington III Interview Date: November 16, 2009 Interview Location: Raleigh, N.C. Interview Runtime: 1 :5 1 :08 Biographical Sketch James Daniel Johnson was born on September 29, 1940, in Albemarle, N.C. Johnson graduated from Wake Forest College (present-day Wake Forest University) in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he was a member of the varsity football team. He then received seminary training from Southeastern Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. hi 1964, Johnson joined the U.S. Army Reserves while at seminary, and completed his basic training at Fort Hamilton in New York City. After seminary, Johnson pastored a church at Lilesville, N.C., until he entered active U.S. Army service in 1966. Johnson served as the reception station chaplain at Fort Knox, Kentucky, from June 1966 to June 1967. He deployed to Vietnam for the Vietnam War on June 26, 1967. He served as a battalion chaplain with the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry (Riverine), 9th Infantry Division, based out of the U.S. Army’s Bearcat Base near the Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. During the Vietnam War the 60th Infantry was involved in Mobile Riverine Operations, a joint effort in which the U.S. Army and Navy combined forces. Johnson spent over eight months serving with his battalion in the field, before finishing his tour at division headquarters at Bearcat Base. He returned to the United States in June 1968. Johnson served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army until 1986. He would receive a master’s degree in counseling from Long Island University in New York City; later, he received a doctorate degree in marriage and family counseling from Eastern University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent a significant amount of his later years of service stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. During his military career, Johnson reached the ranks of Captain and Lieutenant Colonel. 1