A Good Man, A Great Officer, and One Hell of a Pilot...
COL(R) Gary D. Johnson died on Saturday July 28, 2012.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 2, at Sorrells Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Larry Newton officiating and with Sorrells Funeral Home of Slocomb directing. Burial will follow with full military honors in the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in Slocomb. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (e-mail address woundedwarriorsproject.org) or to the Gary Sinise Foundation at P.O. Box 50008 Studio City, CA 91614 (e-mail garysinisefoundation.org). Donations can also be made to your favorite charity.
Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until service time.
COL(R) Johnson was born on March, 12, 1943 in Camden, Tennessee to John Leslie Johnson and Marilyn Capps Johnson. He attended high school at Heath High in Paducah, Kentucky. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in English and Chemistry at Murphy State University in Kentucky. His later education included getting his Master’s in Business Administration in Operations Research and Systems Analysis from Tulane University in New Orleans.
COL(R) Johnson’s military service in the U.S. Army began Aug 6, 1965 and his specialty was in Army Aviation. He served on active duty in Vietnam for two tours as a helicopter pilot and as Platoon Leader of the 9th Transportation Company. During his distinguished career his service included General Director of Maintenance Aviation and U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command in St. Louis, Missouri. Col(R) Johnson served as the Aviation Logistics Assistance Team Maintenance Director (AVSCOM) during Desert Shield Desert Storm. His career also included working in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (ODCSLOG) at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He also was Director of Combat Development for Aviation Weapon Systems as a Logistics Officer in Aviation District Office in Fort Eustis, VA. He served as Commander of the 222d Aviation Battalion at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He received numerous awards and metals including but not limited to Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, Commendations and Meritorious Service Medals, National Defense Service Medals, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Air Medal, Master Aviator Badge, Kuwait Liberation Medal and the Southwest Asia Service Medal. After retiring from the U.S. Army he worked for Dyncorp in Fort Hood, Texas, as the Senior Manager of Business Development for Aerospace Technology. At Lockheed Martin in Greenville, SC he served as Manager of Business Development for Lockheed Martin Logistics Management. He retired from Westar in Huntsville and Fort Rucker, AL as a Project Manager.
Gary enjoyed golfing, spending time with his family and gardening. He took pride in doing projects for the house and he was a beloved husband to his wife, Tina, loving father and devoted grandfather to his grandchildren. He cared deeply for his family and enjoyed spending time with them.
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