Johnson shares memories from Korean Conflict
BY JOY POWERS

James T. Johnson
U.S. Air Force
Korean Conflict

Jim Johnson enlisted with the U.S.A.F. in January 1950 and was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for 13 weeks to complete his basic training.

After completing basic training, Jim was sent onto to A&P School (Aircraft and Powerplant) in Sheppardfield, TX. After graduation from A&P, he went onto B29 Specialist School at the same base. In October 1950 Jim was sent on to Chanutefield, Illinois to R-3350 Engine Specialist School to study R-3350’s (the designation for the engines on the B29’s).

From there, Jim’s graduating class in Chanutefield was scheduled to be sent to Alaska. When Jim heard of this, he was not too thrilled about going to Alaska. Using his creativity, he snuck into the office of the lady that issued the shipping orders for the graduating students. He told her a story about his girlfriend in California being pregnant and that he really needed to be sent to California so he could get married.

Upon graduation, the class was sent to Alaska, except for Jim, who went on to March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. Arriving at March AFB, in February 1951 Jim was assigned to the 66th Bomb Squadron 44th Bomb Wing. The entire squadron and wing was transferred to Lake Charles AFB in Louisiana.

It was near the end of December 1952 when Jim received his shipping orders for McDill AFB in Florida. Jim was happy to be going to Florida but as he continued to read the orders he discovered it said "in lieu of Florida report Forward Echelon Kadena Field, Okinawa" which meant he was headed to the combat zone in the Korean Conflict.

Jim remembered back to one of the days that they were preparing the aircraft for a bombing raid. The munition personnel had just completed the loading of 40 500-lb. bombs and were leaving the aircraft. Jim was leaning against the left-hand rear bomb bay door when he heard a "thunk." He looked down under the aircraft and saw the last bomb to be loaded into the aircraft had fallen out. The spinners on the fuses had started to rotate. The Sargent in charge of the bomb loaders saw what happened and ran back. He stopped the spinners from rotating. The aircraft, holding the other 39 bombs, had to be towed away from the bomb and the demolition crew called in to disarm it.

Jim said they worked on an average of 14-18 hours a day. They flew a combat mission every other day for the 10 months he spent in the combat zone. Once the truce had been signed, they flew them as training missions. During his time in Kadena, Jim flew into K13 (military term for an airfield in Korea) three different times when his aircraft had received combat flack damage to make the repairs to his bomber, the 824, so the aircraft could return to Kadena.

Even though the truce was signed during the summer of 1953, Jim remained there as Crew Chief in charge of all the maintenance to be done on the B29 until the end of the year. A crew generally consisted of five people. There was usually one crew chief, two engine specialists, one electronics specialist, and one structural specialist.

In December of 1953, Jim returned to the states and received his honorable discharge. He also received four medals for his time in combat zone, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Medal, the National Defense Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. All Korean Veterans that were in the Korean Conflict combat zone or served in Korea are eligible for a letter of appreciation and a 50th Anniversary Medal of the Korean Conflict from the Korean Government signed by Kim Da-Jung, President of the Republic of Korea. Jim Johnson received his letter of appreciation and 50th Anniversary medal through the mail in August of 2001.

Upon his discharge, Jim went to work for Northrop Corporation in Ontario, California on the F89 Production Flight Test Line as a mechanic. Through the years he progressed up to Edwards AFB at the Northrop Flight Test Facility in California where he eventually became a Manager of Maintenance Flight Test Operations for Northrop Corporation on stealth fighter test programs.

Jim retired on January 1, 1995 and continued to live in Hawthorne, California until October 1999 when he and his wife, Judie, made the decision to move to Edgeley.