EDWIN O. JOHNSON, LTJG, USN

Edwin Johnson '41

Date of birth: February 17, 1918

Date of death: November 30, 1942

Age: 24

Lucky Bag

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

EDWIN O. JOHNSON

Troutdale, Oregon

The pride of Multnomah, bade farewell to his beloved Oregon, to his outdoor life as a horseman and skier, in pursuit of attaining the realization of his boyhood fancy, that of a naval career in aviation. Ed may be classified amongst those illustrious individuals who proclaimed the phrase, "Pensacola or bust." This has been his incentive and his presence at the Academy is the means to his end. He is energetic and gifted with the ability to perform any task he sets out to do. On the surface he assimilates the serious and looking closely into his character we see a truly smooth personality, which weighs decision on the scales of good judgment. Ed is congenial and always ready for a laugh. His ability to recognize the charm in womanhood is uncanny. His life at the Academy has not found him academically weak. He has never let himself stumble into the pit-falls of perfunctory routine to such an extent that he has lost insight into the broader outlook. Ed indeed plays a winning game with life.

The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

EDWIN O. JOHNSON

Troutdale, Oregon

The pride of Multnomah, bade farewell to his beloved Oregon, to his outdoor life as a horseman and skier, in pursuit of attaining the realization of his boyhood fancy, that of a naval career in aviation. Ed may be classified amongst those illustrious individuals who proclaimed the phrase, "Pensacola or bust." This has been his incentive and his presence at the Academy is the means to his end. He is energetic and gifted with the ability to perform any task he sets out to do. On the surface he assimilates the serious and looking closely into his character we see a truly smooth personality, which weighs decision on the scales of good judgment. Ed is congenial and always ready for a laugh. His ability to recognize the charm in womanhood is uncanny. His life at the Academy has not found him academically weak. He has never let himself stumble into the pit-falls of perfunctory routine to such an extent that he has lost insight into the broader outlook. Ed indeed plays a winning game with life.

The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

Loss

Edwin was lost when USS New Orleans (CA 32) was heavily damaged by a torpedo at the Battle of Tassafaronga on November 30, 1942.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In 1930, his father Oscar was superintendent of the Multnomah County Farm, his mother Zelma was a matron, and his sister was Nancy. The poor farm’s residents raised vegetables and managed dairy cows, hogs, hens, and chickens. The population peaked in 1935 at 614 residents including an infirmary.
On November 29, 1944, the Commercial Ironworks Shipyard in Portland launched the naval tender AN78. Edwin's mother was sonsor of the ship named the USS Cohoes. The ship has undergone many changes but is still active in Alaska under the name St. Yakov.

His parents were listed as next of kin. Edwin is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.