Robert Johnson (Turtle Clan) served in the Marine Corps in Viet Nam, as a member of a helicopter crew that was disabled while picking up injured and dead Vietnamese. The helicopter was hit after the pick up, but managed to land. They were rescued several hours later after reinforcements secured the area. Following Viet Nam, Bob became a crew chief for a helicopter training unit and went on to become the number-one crew chief on the detail that maintained Marine One, the helicopter used by the President of the United States.
Bob served under three presidents. “Where the President went, we went with him. All kinds of hours. Always had to be packed to go,” said Bob, who served under Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
