Dewey Wilcox Johnson was born September 24, 1921, to Dewey and Helen Wilcox Johnson.



In the late 1930's, Dewey Wilcox Johnson began teaching a group of fourth graders in Jeff Davis County, Georgia. Only two years of schooling at Georgia Southern College prepared him for this honor. His teaching career had to be put on hold when the Japanese catapulted the US into World War II when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.



Dewey W. Johnson enlisted on December 31, 1941; a twenty-year old young man. He enlisted at Ft. Benning, GA in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and his grade at enlistment was Aviation Cadet. He was to serve for the duration of the war plus six months. On the same day of enlistment, he left Ft. Benning and reported to Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama, under the command of 1st Lt. J. H. Gardner.



In early 1942, Johnson was among the first flyers to take part in the daylight bombing of Nazi, Germany. Stationed in England, he was a navigator-bombardier flying the B-17 Flying Fortress. On one of his first missions over Hull, Germany, his crew discovered that two bombs had not released and armed bombs had hung up in their racks and did not fall from the aircraft. Johnson slipped off his parachute and put one foot in the doorway of the bomb bay. Another crewman held him by the ankle while he slid headfirst into the bomb bay and jettisoned the bombs with his hands. For this act of heroism, King George VI of England presented him with the British Distinguished Flying Cross for saving the lives of his crew. He was only the second American pilot to be awarded this honor.



Bomber crewman who survived 25 missions over Germany were allowed to rotate back to the states. Having completed those 25 missions, Johnson volunteered to return to Europe and fly 25 more, or another full tour of duty.



When the Allies invaded France, Johnson was in the states and immediately requested a return to combat. Some of his first missions after his return were in support of General Courtney Hodges' besieged First Army in the "Battle of the Bulge." On V-E Day, Johnson was the guest of a Dutch Baron and his wife.



One of his biggest thrills was observing the devastation at Munster after it was captured. He was lead bombardier in a big raid on Munster and he was decorated for his work in helping reduce that German city to ruins.



Johnson completed his 2nd tour before the end of the war with a B-26 bomber outfit that was stationed in France, Belgium, and Holland.



On a beautiful May morning in 1945, Johnson was fishing in a Holland canal when he was told to report to Paris for a trip to the United States. He flew to Paris where he and other military personnel were guests at the famous Ritz Hotel. The group left Paris and arrived at LaGuardia Airport and were whisked to the Waldorf Astoria in New York where the entire eighth floor was reserved. The first soldier to step out on American soil was General Hodges.



A big welcome for Homecoming Heroes was to be held in downtown Atlanta for the returning heroes. The date was May 24, 1945, when three Army C-54 transport planes took off from LaGuardia carrying to Atlanta, GA, eight homeward-bound Georgians. Captain Johnson described it, The thrill of a lifetime." Families of the men had been notified and were present to meet their sons, husbands, and brothers. Every man in the group wore a number of decorations.



AGO Form 66-B listed on line 48 combat date as of July 20, 1954: 54 Combat missions, 242 combat hours, ETO, B-17 & B26, Two completed combat tours/248 Combat hours, B-29, FEAF. Compl Com Tour/



In 1966, Johnson was again transferred to England, where he became director of intelligence for a tactical unit. During that time, he and his wife were given an award by the English-speaking Union for their contribution to Anglo-Saxon relations, an award given only to English people up until that time.



Having served 28 years and one day, Lt. Col. Dewey Wilcox Johnson retired from the United States Air Force on January 1, 1970. One reason for his retirement was to be near his aging parents, Dewey and Helen Wilcox Johnson.



When he retired from the military he went back to college and once again taught in the Jeff Davis County School System. This time he taught high school history courses.



Lt. Col. Dewey Wilcox Johnson died on February 24, 1994. A resolution by the 1995/1996 session of the House of Representatives expressed condolences to Johnson's family.