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Medal of Honor recipient Army SGT Dwight H. Johnson.
Congressional Medal of Honor
Episode 2900 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Medal of Honor recipient Army SGT Dwight H. Johnson. Information featured in this episode comes from a story in the Cherries Writer – Vietnam War Website.
In the heart of the Vietnam War, Army Sergeant Dwight H. Johnson found himself in a hellish landscape. On January 15, 1968, his tank unit was ambushed while conducting a routine patrol near Dak To. Gunfire erupted like thunder, chaos ensued, and men fell around him.
The attack began as the crews tracked along their assigned route just outside Dak To in the Central Highlands near the Cambodian border, several antitank rockets streaked out of a tree line on their flank, as a battalion-size force of North Vietnamese troops sprung an ambush. Two of the four tanks—the one Johnson usually drove and the one he was in that day— was disabled immediately. Johnson’s tank lost its track, so it could no longer maneuver, but its weaponry remained functional. The other tank which held Johnson’s friends—began to burn furiously.
One soldier who witnessed what Johnson did that day was stunned. He later recalled in an interview, “No one who was there could ever forget the sight of this guy taking on a whole battalion of North Vietnamese soldiers.” Johnson had never been seriously wounded during the battle, despite being exposed to enemy fire for most of it. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
For the quiet, friendly man from Detroit, however, battles were far from an end. Johnson immediately struggled to return to duty, and he was hospitalized, first in Vietnam and then later when he was sent home to Michigan. After the White House ceremony presenting him with his Medal of Honor, Johnson’s mother found him in a corner with tears streaming down his face. “Honey, what are you crying about?” she asked, concerned. “You’ve made it back,” Johnson complained to his doctors of being unable to sleep due to constant nightmares. He also expressed tremendous survivor’s guilt. He not only believed he should have been with his friends in that burning tank, but he also felt guilty about receiving honors for living through the fight.
Listen to Episode 2900 and discover more about Medal of Honor recipient Army SGT Dwight H. Johnson.
