PFC Ralph H. Johnson - Beaufort National Cemetery - Beaufort, SC - Medal Of Honor Resting Places on Waymarking.com

PFC Ralph H. Johnson final resting plave is in section 3, grave 21 of the Beaufort National Cemetery on US 21 in Beaufort, SC.


Ralph Henry Johnson (January 1, 1949–March 5, 1968) was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in March 1968 during the Vietnam War. When a hand grenade was thrown into his fighting hole, he immediately covered it with his body — absorbing the full impact of the blast — sacrificing his life to save a fellow Marine and preventing the enemy penetrating his patrol perimeter.

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina, formerly the Charleston VA Medical Center, was renamed in honor of PFC Johnson, with a formal dedication on September 5, 1991. Johnson's Medal of Honor, along with his Medal of Honor citation and a portrait of him, is framed and on public display at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center's front lobby.

Johnson's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") in Washington, D.C. on Panel 43E, Line 008.
Source: Wikipedia (visit link)





The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR to

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS RALPH H. JOHNSON .
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a reconnaissance scout with Company A, First Reconnaissance Battalion, First Marine Division in action against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces in the Republic of Vietnam. In the early morning hours of 5 March 1968, during OPERATION ROCK, First Class Johnson was a member of a fifteen-man reconnaissance patrol manning an observation post on Hill 146 overlooking the Quan Duc Duc Valley deep in enemy controlled territory. They were attacked by a platoon-size hostile force employing automatic weapons, satchel charges and hand grenades. Suddenly a hand grenade landed in the three- man fighting hole occupied by Private First Class Johnson and two fellow Marines. Realizing the inherent danger to his comrades, he shouted a warning and unhesitatingly hurled himself upon the explosive device. When the grenade exploded, Private First Class Johnson absorbed the tremendous impact of the blast and was killed instantly. His prompt and heroic act saved the life of one Marine at the cost of his own and undoubtedly prevented the enemy from penetrating his sector of the patrol's perimeter. Private First Class Johnson's courage inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.



Richard M. Nixon
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES


Section 3, Grave 21

Armed Service: Marines

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