Sergeant First Class Johnson was a member of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 5 September 1950 and returned to duty later that day. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 27 November 1950.

Johnson was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.