INTERVIEW WITH DANNY E. JOHNSON

Catherine Gooch:

MS. GUTCH: Tape 1, 2001. It's October 17th, 2001, this is Catherine Gutch at Our Lady of Angel's Rectory. I am interviewing Deacon Danny Johnson about his service in the Army during the Vietnam War. I am interviewing on behalf of Mary Washington College and the Library of Congress' Veterans' History Project. Okay. Let's begin.

Catherine Gooch:

First of all, were you drafted, or did you enlist on your own?

Danny Johnson:

No, I enlisted.

Catherine Gooch:

Enlisted?

Danny Johnson:

Yeah.

Catherine Gooch:

Do you remember when or --

Danny Johnson:

Oh, you know, I meant to bring my DD214 in, and, like I said, I've got so much other stuff on my mind.

Let's see. 1967 I went in. I went into basic at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Tank Hill, they called it.

Catherine Gooch:

Umh-humh. Why did you pick the Army?

Danny Johnson:

Actually, I picked the Army because I wanted to go into law enforcement, and that's the only branch of service that you could, at that time that you could pick what they called MOS. And so I enlisted for the MPs, and the Army in its wisdom messed things up.

Guess who didn't go to the MPs.

Catherine Gooch:

What were your first few days in the service like?

Danny Johnson:

Totally lost, confused, scared, nervous.

Catherine Gooch:

Tell me about the boot camp experience.

Danny Johnson:

Actually, that was -- I didn't mind it that much. I just made a big game out of it. And I ended up being what they call a squad leader, and so that means then I got out of guard duty and KP. In fact, I only did one day of KP in my whole military career, and then that was only half a day.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

So. . .

Catherine Gooch:

So that being --

Danny Johnson:

But it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the shooting part and I ended up getting an expert out of, out of boot camp.

But that doesn't mean anything. They just give you another medal to put on your uniform, that's all.

Catherine Gooch:

Where did you go after boot camp?

Danny Johnson:

Fort Borden, Georgia, which is the MP school, but it's also signal school. And I went over to MP school and they looked at my orders, there was some corporal there, some -- he asked me what in the hell I was doing over there. I said I enlisted for MPs. He says, "Well, your order's saying you're going to signal school," he said, "get your ass out of my office." I said, "Fine, I'm out of here."

Catherine Gooch:

What is signal school?

Danny Johnson:

I was -- went to what they call fourth echelon field radio repairman, and that's if we can't fix it, it goes in the junk pile. So, I made E4 out of there. And that was twenty-one weeks, which is a long school in the military. I'm sure that they got longer ones now, but at that time it was the longest school.

So. . .

Catherine Gooch:

When did you find out you were going to go to Vietnam?

Danny Johnson:

[Laughing] Oh, right before graduation from signal school. And then they told us, they said -- you know, they told us all during signal school that if you, if you're in the top ten percent of the class you probably won't go to Vietnam. Well, I was in the top ten percent. I went anyway.

Catherine Gooch:

Oh, my goodness.

Danny Johnson:

And they told us right, right before we, we got our assignments or they gave us our orders, and then you -- actually, you just looked at your orders and then you saw Vietnam on your orders. And then they sent you to a two-week school prior to sending you over there. And they said, you know, if you do go, you'll be sitting in an air-conditioned van working on radios. I said, how bad can it be.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]Not quite. What was the two weeks like?

Danny Johnson:

It was just like jungle training. They just -- sort of like in-service training for what you expect over there, the do's and the don'ts and. . .

Catherine Gooch:

What --

Danny Johnson:

Yeah, it wasn't combat training. You got that in basic, they figured.

Catherine Gooch:

Where exactly in Vietnam did you go?

Danny Johnson:

It was -- the first place I went was a place called Dong Tan, but the unit they sent me to had already pulled out down to what they call fourth corps.

Vietnam's broken up in four different corps or sections, and the fourth corps is the Mekong Delta, it's where all the rice patties and all were. And Dong Tan is in, I think that was in third, third quarter. And they, they already moved out, so I spent the night there, and ended up down in Bien Long, which is right on the Mekong River, which runs from Cambodia -- actually, I think it flows even further, but it comes out at Cambodia to Vietnam, and then into the Gulf of Tonkin.

Catherine Gooch:

What did you think when you first got there?

Danny Johnson:

For real?

Catherine Gooch:

Umh-humh.

Danny Johnson:

Oh, shit, it's hot.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

Everything was hot. You get off an air-conditioned plane and they open up those doors and that heat is like a blast furnace. And then they put us on a bus and the windows were all barred and meshed up so they can't throw hand grenades and all that in there. And then they took us to what they call 90th Replacement Battalion, and then from there, that's where you get your assignments. And there was me and four other guys left in this huge tent, and they finally come down and told me to grab my stuff and to get down to the heliport, that I was catching a chopper out. And I said, "Well, I don't know what chopper." He says, "Oh, you can't miss it, it's got cross sabers on it with a seven and a one on it." And that should have been an omen to me then because Custer's was, I think this was seventh, or the first or the seventh; either the seventh or the first. So I ended up going down there, and sure enough there was a helicopter there. And I looked at the guy and he says, "You Johnson?" I said "Yeah." He said, "Get in." I looked and I said, "There's no room." You know, it was full of Vietnamese civilians. He walks up there and he grabs two of them, yanks them off, and he said, "Go ahead, you can sit right there."

Catherine Gooch:

Wow.

Danny Johnson:

So I sat there with my feet on the skids, and that's the first time I've ever been in a helicopter. I was a little apprehensive about that, too.

Catherine Gooch:

I can imagine.

Danny Johnson:

So we dropped them off, and then there was just me in there. And then we went to Dong Tan and then spent the night there and then ended up at Bien Long the next day.

Catherine Gooch:

What was your job down there?

Danny Johnson:

Well, like I said, I was supposed to be fixing radios, so they sent me to the seventh or the first Delta troop, which is -- it's an armored unit, but the Delta, you can't have tanks down there because it's too wet and muddy. So they had Jeeps with like 106 cordless rifles which has a barrel on it about like that. It was huge.

Catherine Gooch:

Like the size of a grapefruit?

Danny Johnson:

Yeah. And it's a shell, I guess about maybe two and a half feet tall, three feet. And they sent me to this unit, and I was standing out in front of what they call a TOC, it's their headquarters, and I was standing there not knowing where I was supposed to go, who I was supposed to see. I'm supposed to stand there kicking up some dust, and then I hear this voice, "Hey, Dusty." That's when I look around and he goes, "Yeah, you." So I walked over and he goes, "Your last name Johnson?" I said, "Yeah; I mean, yes, sir." He says, "All right, get in here, see the CO."

So I walked in there, gave him my orders, and he goes,

"What the hell is 31 echel 20?" I said, "Fourth echelon field radio repairman." So I wasn't too bright in my younger days, because I should have known if your CO doesn't know what your job is, you're in trouble. He says, "Well, I'm not authorized to have you." I said, "Well, can I go back to Saigon?" He goes, "No," he goes, "if you know how to work on them, you must know how to operate them." And like a dummy I go, "Oh, yeah, yes, sir, I certainly do."

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

So I ended up carrying one around for twelve months including a couple of visits to the hospital here and there.

Catherine Gooch:

So you were wounded?

Danny Johnson:

Yeah, yep. Nothing serious. Just being stupid.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

Wounded and malaria.

Catherine Gooch:

Oh, really?

Danny Johnson:

Yeah.

Catherine Gooch:

Goodness.

Danny Johnson:

Woke up and about me and seven other guys come down with it at the same time. And woke up on a naval hospital ship out in the Gulf of Tonkin, sick as a dog. If I would have died that day I would have lived happily ever after.

Catherine Gooch:

Goodness.

Danny Johnson:

Oh. And then it seemed like every time I put in for R and R something happened to me, so I quit putting in for it.

Catherine Gooch:

You gave up on that?

Danny Johnson:

Yeah.

Catherine Gooch:

Tell me about --

Danny Johnson:

Then came on home.

Catherine Gooch:

Did you? Well, what were some of the most memorable experiences you had?

Danny Johnson:

Oh, I think there was a couple. First of all, there was some Catholic nuns that ran an orphanage right next to Bien Long. We used to go over there because Charlie would try and mortar us, but the mortars, they weren't too bright either and they would end up hitting the orphanage, so we'd go over there and fix it up and help them. And the thing is, is that nothing ever seemed to upset them, you know, it didn't matter, you know. And they never went home. Once they got there -- they were Irish nuns, and once they got there, they just stayed there and took care of those kids. You know, I often wondered, you know, once the communists took over, whatever happened to them, were they expelled or did they let them stay or what. Then there was a little Cambodian boy up in Newycodo (ph), it's the only mountain range in the Delta, it's right there by Cambodia. And he was in a village and his parents, both of his parents and grandparents were killed by the NVA, came down and destroyed their villages. They were helping the Americans. Somehow he got out, him and some other kids. But we were up there for a hundred and twenty days trying to take this mountain, and he slept outside my tent and I ended up giving him my wristwatch. But he understood very little English.

But he was such a neat kid, there was just something about him. I often wondered whatever happened to him.

Jeez, he's got to be in his, I guess thirties now anyway.

Catherine Gooch:

He just hung around the camp?

Danny Johnson:

He hung around me, me and my, a buddy of mine.

Catherine Gooch:

So did you ever develop close friendships when you were over there?

Danny Johnson:

Well, I didn't. I had a couple good friends, but that's it. I hear from two of them.

Catherine Gooch:

Yeah.

Danny Johnson:

Yeah. George Kasara (ph) lives down in North Carolina, and Bradley lives in Tennessee, lives in Tennessee, up in the mountains.

Catherine Gooch:

Right.

Danny Johnson:

He came home and went up there, and every now and then I'll get a postcard or a Christmas card from him.

Catherine Gooch:

Oh, wow.

Danny Johnson:

He just lives up there. I don't know what he does.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

But they were my, the two buddies. There was a couple other ones, but they didn't make it back. And that's why I never went to The Wall.

Catherine Gooch:

Umh-humh.

Danny Johnson:

Because when I left, then everybody that I left behind, they came home, too. But if I go to The Wall and I see their names, then I know they didn't make it.

Catherine Gooch:

Right.

Danny Johnson:

Because, see, in my mind, everybody came home.

Catherine Gooch:

How did you keep in contact with family, with their family back in the States?

Danny Johnson:

Oh, here, just letters.

Catherine Gooch:

Really?

Danny Johnson:

Umh-humh. They got a, what's it called, a MARS station up -- it's a military radio operator telephone, and I called once, and because I quit -- I hate writing letters, and my mother, she would watch the news every day, and I talked to her this one time that they brought this MARS station in, and then we got hit that night. Actually, Bien Long, the city got hit. They were going right over us; we didn't get hit the all. Of course, mom got all upset and scared and she called the Red Cross. And the Red Cross got ahold of my CO and my CO got ahold of me and chewed me out for not writing. But I had just talked to her last night.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

So I had to go write her a letter then.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

But that's, that's the main way. Everybody did, they wrote until, like I said, they got to the station, and then they -- you could make calls if you wanted.

Catherine Gooch:

What did you guys do for entertainment?

Danny Johnson:

Drank.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

Drank and some guys did drugs. Some guys went to the house of fun. Others weren't scared to do that.

I was afraid I'd end up catching something. And they told you that if you did it, you couldn't go home until it was all cured, and I said, oh, hunh-unh. And this was before the collar, so I could be a good boy for twelve months.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing] What was the food like over there; what did you guys eat?

Danny Johnson:

Well, you got regular Army chow, except when we went out on the -- if we'd go out on, sometimes on a long mission or something like that, then we'd get different, other rations, or we'd go into town if you want to take a chance and eat that, that stuff. I never did. Just regular Army chow. And plain beer, because you couldn't drink the water.

Catherine Gooch:

Oh, really?

Danny Johnson:

Oh, no, that water is filthy.

Catherine Gooch:

Was there anything special that you were -- anything you did for good luck, any kind of --

Danny Johnson:

Yeah, I carried that flag.

Catherine Gooch:

The American flag?

Danny Johnson:

Yeah. I forgot to bring it to you, too. I've got some pictures at home. I'll give them to Sean and, and he can given them to you.

Catherine Gooch:

Are there any pranks you or others would pull on each other?

Danny Johnson:

Oh, yeah.

Catherine Gooch:

To humor -- [laughing].

Danny Johnson:

Yeah, we would, especially with the Navy, the river rats, that's what they called them, river rats, we'd always get hit. If we went to the NCO Club, invariably we'd get into disagreements or fights with them. And myself and a couple other guys, we took some CS gas one time and gassed their boats, and then they come over and they got some CS and just dropped it from a helicopter onto our tents. So, our CO found out about that and so did theirs, and we got a stern talking-to. In fact, what our CO told us is, "Look, if you're going to do that, you know, at least don't get caught." So, we got banned from -- in fact, when we were on that 120-day mission, we come back, we were banned from the NCO Club. We couldn't go to the NCO Club for three days, until after we got back to camp and promised to behave ourselves.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

So we waited three days and went down there, and everybody ended up getting thrown out again.

Catherine Gooch:

Inevitable. Did you receive -- I know you received some letters and awards. What exactly did you get while you were there?

Danny Johnson:

Nothing much. You know, the only good one was a CIB.

Catherine Gooch:

What does that mean?

Danny Johnson:

Combat Infantryman's Badge. They're the ones you just get for being stupid, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all.

Catherine Gooch:

A CIB, what did you have to do?

Danny Johnson:

You had to be in combat.

Catherine Gooch:

Did you?

Danny Johnson:

It's a -- you can see it on -- a lot of -- you see it on television on a lot of guys. It's a long blue bar with a, it looks like a Kentucky rifle in it, and then it's got a wreath around it. Now, you get some that have a star on it and that means it's been awarded more than once, I think it's twice or something like that. You really got to be somebody to have a star on it, though.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

But I don't have one of those.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing] Now, what was your general opinion of your fellow soldiers and your superiors while you were over there?

Danny Johnson:

Well, the majority of them were all right. We had one particular officer that his main job was to get as many ribbons as he could, awards, so he could climb the ladder of success. But the majority of them, you know, they just wanted to do their stint and get the hell home and try and forget. You know, it's amazing how much you can, you can forget. There's a lot of things that, that I haven't thought about until you brought it up, until our last meeting, then I really tried to start thinking, and I couldn't. I blocked it all out, or a lot of it I blocked out.

Catherine Gooch:

I'm sure a lot of people did.

Danny Johnson:

Yeah.

Catherine Gooch:

Do you remember the day you left Vietnam?

Danny Johnson:

Oh, god, yes.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing] What was that like?

Danny Johnson:

I was out in the field and I caught a chopper back to Bien Long, and I just had enough -- I had already packed the stuff I was going to take, and I just jumped on another, I think it was a C-130, a big plane, and flew to Saigon. I spent the night in Saigon and got out of my fatigues, and then, and then the next morning they had ordered us out on the landing strip there, and there the big Freedom Bird was. And I got on that, gave the Vietnamese a good luck sign back.

Catherine Gooch:

[Laughing]

Danny Johnson:

Got on the plane and -- the thing is, everybody -- nobody said anything when they got on the plane until after it lifted off, and then a couple guys, you know started clapping, and then the pilot, I guess, I don't know how long it was, it wasn't too much longer, he says, "We are now out of Vietnam air space, we are in international waters," and then the whole plane went crazy. We figured, oh, good, we're not going to get shot down --

Catherine Gooch:

Right.

Danny Johnson:

-- by a rocket or anything out of the air.

Catherine Gooch:

That's true.

Danny Johnson:

So, it was a long flight.

Catherine Gooch:

How long did you stay in the military after that?

Danny Johnson:

About a year, I had a year to do. Went to Aberdeen Proving Grounds as an instructor. And then went into the Reserves after I got out. I was a drill sergeant for a while. And then I guess it got too political and I said, nah, and I got out.

Catherine Gooch:

Well, what did you go on to do after, after your service?

Danny Johnson:

Went into law enforcement. I was thinking of, of becoming a, either a priest or a cop. And I met my wife and we got married, so that scratched the priest. And we were -- myself and three other guys were going to an NCO Club one night after work, and we were going by the educational center, and Nurse McPulster (ph) sent me one of Washington's finest, and said something about an early out. And I went, oh, heck ______. So I went back there and there were about seven or eight hundred guys and girls there, and after they gave their spiel, there was about maybe fifty of us there.

So I was just going to stay a year and then go back home to Florida, but then we had twins and we lost the boy. Well, actually, we didn't lose him; I don't know right where he is. So I stayed there for twenty-five years. And I think the hardest part of that job was putting up with the demonstrations, the Vietnam anti- war demonstrations.

Catherine Gooch:

Your service, how did that influence your thinking about the war and the country in general?

Danny Johnson:

Mixed, I had mixed feelings, because they wouldn't let us fight-fight.

Catherine Gooch:

Umh-humh.

Danny Johnson:

You know, we -- when we weren't out on search and destroy missions or night ambushes, we had perimeter guard, and they had what they called a kill zone where they went all the way around. Well, supposedly, if you got into the kill zone you're automatically shot, but we couldn't, we couldn't shoot. I mean, we could see Charlie coming in towards us and we'd have to call back and get permission from our people, and our people had to call their field commander to get permission from those people. Shit, yeah, right.

Catherine Gooch:

And why was that?

Danny Johnson:

Politics. It's -- you end up not only shooting Charlie, but, shoot, if there happened to be a couple of water buffalo out there, you'd shoot them, too, just to get the frustration out of you. And then our tax dollars will buy the farmer another cow.

Catherine Gooch:

That's the way it works.

Danny Johnson:

That's right.

Catherine Gooch:

Did your experience there affect your decision to become a Catholic deacon?

Danny Johnson:

No, no, not really. This is -- now, this is a whole new, a whole new ballgame here.

Catherine Gooch:

So, overall, how did the entire war experience and your service there affect your life?

Danny Johnson:

A little more understanding, I think, a little more tolerance of people. You're definitely not as radical or as biased against people. And I take things not as serious as I used to, because I know that, you know, why get all upset over something that, you know, you can walk out of here and drop dead and, you know, six months later if you would go, "Danny home?"

Catherine Gooch:

Umh-humh.

Danny Johnson:

It's like they give you -- all right. Were you around when Deacon Henderson was here?

Catherine Gooch:

Umh-humh.

Danny Johnson:

All right. You ask the majority of people around here who Deacon Ed is, and they'd have no idea.

Because either the people he knew are either dead or have moved, and we got so many new people in here. So I just take life one day at a time, and that's why I got out of -- one of the things I got out of Vietnam, because, you know, take things -- things that should be taken serious, take serious, otherwise get a grip on life, just have a ball. You're not here that long anyway.

Catherine Gooch:

Okay. I'd like to thank you very much.

Danny Johnson:

Oh, great. I didn't talk too long, did I?

Catherine Gooch:

Oh, no.