Gary Morgan Johnson was born on February 16, 1943, in Dallas, Texas. He began his studies at Texas Tech in 1961 first earning his bachelor’s degree and later his master’s degree in music education specializing in voice in 1967. During his time in Lubbock, Gary was active in the TTU Choir and a member of the Phi Mu Alpha fraternity. In 1968, Gary went to Vietnam to serve as a helicopter rescue medic with the 45th Medical Company, a helicopter ambulance/rescue or Dustoff unit.
On February 5, 1969, one week before he was set to go home, Gary and his Dustoff crew volunteered to rescue a wounded South Vietnamese solder in the jungle near Xuan Loc. This mission required the use of a hoist at night, which was the most dangerous type of rescue mission because the helicopter and crew would be required to hover in place until the wounded man was hoisted up through the jungle canopy, making the helicopter an easy target for the enemy. Gary and his crew made two separate attempts to get into position to bring the wounded man out, eventually being forced to move on due to heavy enemy fire. Finally, during their third approach to the hoist site, the crew began lifting the wounded soldier into the air when their helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The grenade hit the helicopter’s fuel tank and the helicopter burst into flames killing the entire crew, including Gary Morgan Johnson.
For his service in Vietnam, Gary received the Silver Star, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Combat Medical Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Army Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. He is buried in Dallas Texas.