The Wall › Panel 29W › Georgia › Donald Ray Johnston
DONALD RAY JOHNSTON
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
November 19, 1947 – March 21, 1969
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: U.S. Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Donald Ray Johnston, of Columbus, Georgia, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on March 21, 1969, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 29W, Line 104 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Donald Ray Johnston received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on March 21, 1969.
Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Donald Ray Johnston; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.
On the Wall
Panel 29W · Line 104
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
Did you know him? Family members and friends are invited to share a photograph or a memory. Nothing is posted until it has been reviewed.
Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Specialist Four (SP4)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Indirect Fire Infantryman (11C)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- November 19, 1947
- Home of record
- Columbus, Georgia (Muscogee County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- March 21, 1969
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Grenade
Context · from the records
What was happening
83 names on the Wall carry the date March 21, 1969; 18 of them were lost in Tây Ninh Province. In March 1969, 1,553 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 156 of its members that month.
Read the history
Also on Panel 29W, Line 104
- MITCHEL THOMAS MORTONPrivate First Class · March 21, 1969
- BILLY DAN MURPHYCorporal · March 21, 1969
- THOMAS MCKNETT NEWMANFirst Lieutenant · March 21, 1969
- ROBERT EDWARD OBRIENCaptain · March 21, 1969
Same unit, same day
- PATRICK LYNN BLAIRSergeant · Panel 29W, Line 95
- JUAN PASCUAL R CASTROStaff Sergeant · Panel 29W, Line 96
- RONALD SANDERS COLSONSpecialist Four · Panel 29W, Line 97
- JOE EDDIE DEMERSONPrivate First Class · Panel 29W, Line 97
- JOSEPH MARTIN EUSTAQUIOSergeant · Panel 29W, Line 98
- JERRY LEE EWINGPrivate First Class · Panel 29W, Line 98
- DAVID EDWARD HERSCHBACHWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 29W, Line 99
- ERROL ARTHUR HUGHESSpecialist Four · Panel 29W, Line 99
- MOSE CHILDS HUNDLEYStaff Sergeant · Panel 29W, Line 100
- LOUIS HENDERSON JONESStaff Sergeant · Panel 29W, Line 100
- WESLEY SHEPPARD KERRSergeant · Panel 29W, Line 100
- LARRY THOMAS MOULDERPrivate First Class · Panel 29W, Line 100
- RICARDO LOPEZCorporal · Panel 29W, Line 102
- ALAN FREDERICK MARSCHALLSergeant · Panel 29W, Line 102
- EARL MARTIN MATTHEWSSpecialist Five · Panel 29W, Line 103
- GEORGE EDWARD MENNINGERCaptain · Panel 29W, Line 103
- ROBERT EDWARD OBRIENCaptain · Panel 29W, Line 104
- LEONARD LEE PRESTON JRFirst Lieutenant · Panel 28W, Line 1
- ROBERT LUCIAN RIGGINS JRCorporal · Panel 28W, Line 2
- WILLIAM WARREN SHERMANSergeant · Panel 28W, Line 3
- ALBERT EDWARD SMITH JRSpecialist Four · Panel 28W, Line 4
- THOMAS WILLIAM WHITTENCorporal · Panel 28W, Line 6
From Columbus
- RUBE ALFRED FREEMANMaster Sergeant · April 27, 1963
- WILLIAM EDWARD TH FLOWERSChief Warrant Officer 2 · December 12, 1963
- JERRY LEE TAYLORCaptain · February 17, 1964
- PATRICK PALMER CALHOUNSecond Lieutenant · April 19, 1965
- JAMES CHARLES SHERIFF JRMajor · July 4, 1965
- DURWARD FRANK RAYSergeant · July 7, 1965
- CLIFFORD DEAN MELTONStaff Sergeant · July 21, 1965
- FRANK BOYNTONSpecialist Four · September 18, 1965
- JAMES LEROY DAVISSergeant · November 12, 1965
- EDDIE LEE POUGHSpecialist Four · November 15, 1965
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. The Medal of Honor citation above is the official account of his actions. See something wrong? Report a correction.