Thursday, December 08, 2005
Congressman Sam Johnson, War Hero
Sam Johnson, Congressman….do you know who he is? Well check out his Congressional Web Page.
He disagrees with Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania and Senator John McCain of Arizona. So you know, this guy can’t be all bad. In the case of Murtha it is his cut and run strategy. The McCain issue is the recent “torture bill.”
From his bio:
After growing up in Dallas and graduating from Southern Methodist University, Johnson began his 29-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team. In the Korean War, he flew F-86s in 62 combat missions.
In the Vietnam War, Johnson flew F-4s. While flying his 25th combat mission in 1966, he was shot down over North Vietnam. He spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war, half of that time in solitary confinement. Fellow POW Capt. James Mulligan, USN (Ret.) recalled the day Johnson was allowed to return to a joint cell. He walked into the room with the two other detained American officers, "stood at attention with tears in his eyes, and said simply, 'Lieutenant Colonel Sam Johnson reporting for duty, sir'...after he had not talked to or directly been with an American for three full years." Johnson recounts the details of his POW experience in his autobiography, Captive Warriors.
A decorated war hero, Johnson was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three Outstanding Unit Awards.
Sam Johnson knows about torture, if you doubt that, look at his hands. He opposes the recent McCain bill that passed the Senate and is leading a drive to defeat that bill in the House of Representatives. Torture is illegal now and we don’t need a bill like McCain’s, in his opinion it will hurt our combat troop, intelligence efforts and our ability to conduct war.
He disagrees with Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania and Senator John McCain of Arizona. So you know, this guy can’t be all bad. In the case of Murtha it is his cut and run strategy. The McCain issue is the recent “torture bill.”
From his bio:
After growing up in Dallas and graduating from Southern Methodist University, Johnson began his 29-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team. In the Korean War, he flew F-86s in 62 combat missions.
In the Vietnam War, Johnson flew F-4s. While flying his 25th combat mission in 1966, he was shot down over North Vietnam. He spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war, half of that time in solitary confinement. Fellow POW Capt. James Mulligan, USN (Ret.) recalled the day Johnson was allowed to return to a joint cell. He walked into the room with the two other detained American officers, "stood at attention with tears in his eyes, and said simply, 'Lieutenant Colonel Sam Johnson reporting for duty, sir'...after he had not talked to or directly been with an American for three full years." Johnson recounts the details of his POW experience in his autobiography, Captive Warriors.
A decorated war hero, Johnson was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three Outstanding Unit Awards.
Sam Johnson knows about torture, if you doubt that, look at his hands. He opposes the recent McCain bill that passed the Senate and is leading a drive to defeat that bill in the House of Representatives. Torture is illegal now and we don’t need a bill like McCain’s, in his opinion it will hurt our combat troop, intelligence efforts and our ability to conduct war.