A self-described poor country boy from the Deep South received a special honor from New York veterans on Saturday. Charles R. Johnson, who grew up in Mississippi and led soldiers in Vietnam between 1963 and 1971, rising to the rank of colonel, was named Veteran of the Year during a ceremony in the New York State Military Museum.
Johnson, 82, was born with a sharp wit, but he's a man with a serious past. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry, Johnson led troops in Vietnam on and off from the beginning of the war until past its peak. He served as a Vietnamese Ranger adviser, a special operations officer and battalion commander in the 9th and 25th Army infantry divisions.
Johnson received his military education through the Infantry Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, the Army War College, Airborne and Ranger Schools and the Pathfinder Course. He retired as a colonel in 1981 after 26 years in the Army. Read More