ROBERT J. JOHNSON, JR., LTCOL, USMC
Robert Johnson, Jr. '64
Lucky Bag
From the 1964 Lucky Bag:
ROBERT JAMES JOHNSON, Jr.
Pensacola, Florida
Bob
11th Company
During his early life as a Marine junior, Bob gained a good deal of worldly experience and after a year at Stetson University, decided to follow in the footsteps of three previous generations. Bob brought with him a gift of gab that made his never ending search for the "perfect" woman, a success, if not, sometimes, a very hectic one. His athletic prowess made him an asset to the Company in most all sports. Though Bob had some close scrapes with the Academic departments, he found ample time to improve his retention through sleep. His leadership abilities will assure him a great deal of success in any service he chooses.
ROBERT JAMES JOHNSON, Jr.
Pensacola, Florida
Bob
11th Company
During his early life as a Marine junior, Bob gained a good deal of worldly experience and after a year at Stetson University, decided to follow in the footsteps of three previous generations. Bob brought with him a gift of gab that made his never ending search for the "perfect" woman, a success, if not, sometimes, a very hectic one. His athletic prowess made him an asset to the Company in most all sports. Though Bob had some close scrapes with the Academic departments, he found ample time to improve his retention through sleep. His leadership abilities will assure him a great deal of success in any service he chooses.
Loss
Bob was lost when his F-4 Phantom II crashed at sea while operating from NAS Cubi Point, Philippines. He was the radar intercept officer; the pilot was also killed.
Other Information
From the January/February 1983 issue of Shipmate:
LCol. Robert James Johnson, Jr. USMC died on 9 October 1982, when the aircraft in which he was flying impacted the water near Cubi Point, Republic of the Philippines. Memorial services were held at NAS, Cubi Point; MCAS, Iwakuni, Japan; and Fort Myer, Virginia.
A native of Pensacola, Florida, he was the son of a Marine aviator, now retired, and the grandson of General Roy S. Geiger, one of the most famous Marine aviators of all time. After graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1964 he was assigned to naval flight officer training in Pensacola, and upon completion was transferred to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 513 (VMFA- 513) at MCAS, Cherry Point, North Carolina, for further training. He then served a combat tour with VMFA-314 in Danang, Republic of Vietnam.
Upon his return to the United States in 1967 he was assigned as a radar intercept officer at NTTC, Glynco, Georgia. He was further transferred to MCAS, Beaufort, South Carolina, where he stayed with Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 451 and 333, and subsequently made a second combat tour with VMFA-333 aboard the carrier USS AMERICA during 1972-73.
He attended the Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia, and upon completion in 1974, was assigned to VMFA-235, First Marine Brigade, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he served as administration officer, maintenance officer and executive officer.
He returned to the Continental United States and attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, upon graduation in 1979 he was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, where he was involved with strategic command, control and communications.
In June 1982 he was transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 15 (MAG-15) at MCAS, Iwakuni, Japan, where he was serving as commanding officer of Marine Air Base Squadron 15 at the time of his death.
His personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 30 strike/flight awards, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and gold star in lieu of second award, Presidential Unit Citation and Meritorious Unit Commendation. He was a member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association.
He is survived by his widow Linda, their two children Melanie and Douglas, and his parents Col. and Mrs. Robert J. Johnson, Sr., USMC (Ret.).
Bob has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery.
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