First Lieutenant Peter W. Johnson

First Lieutenant Peter W. Johnson was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduating from Infantry Officer Candidate School Class 13-66, 22 September 1966. At the time he was Killed in Action he was serving with Detachment B-22, Company B, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. 1LT Johnson was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

CITATION: For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, First Lieutenant Johnson was serving as senior Special Forces advisor to a Vietnamese strike force platoon conducting a search and destroy mission in Binh Dinh Province. While the unit was moving across open rice paddies heavy automatic weapons fire erupted on it from a reinforced North Vietnamese company occupying well-fortified positions in a nearby hamlet. Quickly withdrawing his troops from the savage fusillade, Lieutenant Johnson directed accurate artillery and air strikes on the enemy positions. As the bombardment lifted, he rallied his men and led a fierce assault on the hamlet. An intense hail of bullets raked the exposed platoon, and Lieutenant Johnson withdrew his men and again requested artillery and air support. He then reorganized his troops and fearlessly led a second assault through a curtain of hostile fire. While shouting encouragement and gallantly charging the fortified North Vietnamese bunkers, Lieutenant Johnson was hit by enemy fire and instantly killed. His determined and courageous leadership in close combat inspired his fellow soldiers to overrun and capture their objective.

1LT Johnson's military awards and decorations include: Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.