Honoring
Frank E. Johnson
(1925 - 2003)
Dad served with the 353rd Regiment,
89th Infantry Division
From January 1944 until it was disbanded in June, 1945 after fighting in the
Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. He was transferred to the 42nd Infantry
Division for occupation duty and was mustered out of the service in Vienna in
April, 1946.
The 89th Division is listed as a
Liberation Unit that was credited, along with the 4th Armored Division, with
the
liberation of the Ohrdruf concentration camp (a sub-camp of Buchenwald), the
first camp liberated by U.S. Forces in Germany.
The 89th also liberated the REIMAHG Labor Camps at Kahla on April 12 & 13, 1945.
These camps used slave labor to produce the Messerschmitt Me 262 turbine
aircraft. In May 2006, a
commemoration of the liberation was held and a plaque
honoring the 89th was installed.
Dad's medals and awards:
-
Combat Infantryman Badge
-
Bronze Star Medal
-
Good Conduct Medal
-
American Campaign Medal
-
European, African, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (two bronze stars)
-
World War II Victory Medal
-
Army of Occupation Medal (Germany)
-
Expert Shooting Qualification Badge
-
Marksman Qualification Badge
As a tangible memorial for Dad, I constructed this display case and entered his name in the WWII Memorial Registry.
