Master Sergeant Johnson was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a member of Company A, 702nd Ordnance Maintenance Company, 2nd Infantry Division. On 2 May 1953, he collapsed and died of heart failure while watching a horseshoe game at Onsu-Dong, North Korea.

Johnson was awarded the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean War Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.