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View Full Version : The Start Of WWII One Soldier Looks Back



thedrifter
12-04-02, 07:09 AM
For a veteran, recollecting war times past is like getting caught in an unexpected rainstorm; you're not always prepared for its effects.


Those memories are something that are often tucked away, and for Art Johnson, they are memories that he hasn't summoned in a while. Johnson, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, holds the philosophy that the mind remembers the positive memories more vividly than the negative ones. The negative ones are not in the forefront of his memory; it's not how he chooses to live. But that's not to say that they are ever forgotten.

This week is the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which occurred on December 7, 1941. The incident is one that prompted many young men to enlist in the military. Johnson heard the news of the bombing on the radio, but with all the prior German activity that was occurring, the war was something that he knew was inevitable. And like most of his friends, and men his age, Johnson enlisted in the army on January 13, 1942.

To get into Army Special Forces, you have to possess a higher IQ than most, and it was something that Johnson qualified for. He didn't advance too far because he was considered too "wild." They called him "freight train" back in those days.

Johnson's path in WWII began in Africa in November 1942. Then he was in Sicily in March of 1943 and was a part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

"When I first went to Africa, I was extremely afraid. After I shot the first guy, I suffered remorse because I felt sorry for his family. As time went on, I forgot; it didn't matter, I was not afraid of dying. I was extremely determined to survive and live," said Johnson.

Over coffee at a local diner in Islip, it became difficult for Johnson to speak about his experiences, but he persevered after a moment of collection, and went on to pull out of his wallet some remnants of the war. They were black-and-white photographs, the size of a business card, of a concentration camp that his troop liberated. He took the pictures with a German camera that he kept with him on his travels. He recalled others in his troop being overtaken by the noxious smells of the deceased. The pictures were the mass graves at a German concentration camp, Nordhausen.

"My fundamental thoughts were always on survival," said Johnson. "I'm a quick thinker - I don't make spot decisions," and he said that played a large role in his survival. Recalling a sort of cat-and-mouse hunt while in combat, he can remember being chased by the enemy and that he was always good at finding a niche to hide in. Deceiving the enemy was also his strong point. "I would put my helmet on top of the gun and wave it around and they would shoot at it."

In Johnson's opinion, war is "a combination of self-defense and inherited national pride." He said there was one defining characteristic that he observed about American and German troops. If an American troop lost a leader, someone else stepped in and took over. "If the Germans lost a leader, they were lost and disoriented."

Johnson was recalled back into service in 1952, during the Korean War. When he left for the war, he weighed 250 pounds. When he got out he was around 120, and the man stands tall at 6'6". The drop in weight was due to the fact that he spent 15 months in a Korean Prisoner of War camp after he was wounded in combat and captured by the Koreans. "I played as dumb as I possibly could and during interrogations they couldn't get anything from me," he said.

Counting anything around him was how he survived the 15 months, and was the only way to "remain sane ... It was suicide to attempt to escape."

Johnson has watched the numbers of those in favor of war decline over the years. Back in the '40s, Johnson estimated that 75% of the population supported military service, during the Korean war about 50% and during Vietnam, 95% were against it. "Only fellas like me supported the [Vietnam War]."

Johnson has been married three times and had two boys, both deceased, and a girl. His one son died in Vietnam and he lost his other to a drunk driver in 1970. Johnson visits his wife, Frances, in Little Flower Nursing Home in East Islip six days a week. As a result of a debilitating stroke, she is unable to do anything for herself. Johnson married her in 1982, when they were both 60 years old.

If it were up to Johnson, the conversation would have been about fishing, boating and his grandchildren rather than the war. Next year, Johnson will be 80 years old and his goal is to be able to get on to his brand new boat without the use of the handicap rail. The boat, he said, will be paid off when he's 102, and is one of the many joys and recreations that he undertakes in his life.

"I consider myself a very good soldier. I saved a lot of lives besides my own," said Johnson.

Senator Owen Johnson (R-Babylon) released a statement last week explaining the importance of remembering the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "While the unprovoked attack on America that occurred on September 11, 2001 is still very fresh in our hearts and minds," he said, "we should all pause to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor."


©Suffolk Life Newspapers 2002


Sempers,

Roger