Floyd “Flip” Johnson was born July 11, 1925 in Staples, Minnesota. He joined the US Navy at age 17, and served from 1943-1946, starting with Boot Camp in Farragut, Idaho and learning various skills along the way such as Gunnery, Ordnance, Aviation, and Torpedo training at different military bases across the US. After being discharged from the Navy on August 1946, Johnson would continue serving his country as a pilot in the Air Force from 1948-1974, flying bombers like the B-29, B-36 and the legendary B-52. Besides serving in World War II and Korea, he completed five tours of duty in the Vietnam War. After 30 years of service, Johnson retired from the Air Force on December 1, 1974 as Senior Master Sergeant.
His medals upon retiring include: The American Defense, Asiatic Pacific, Navy Good Conduct, World War II Victory and Navy Occupation, Navy Outstanding Unit, Air Force Longevity, Air Force Outstanding Unit, Air Force Good Conduct, Small Arms Expert, NCO Academy, Air Force Commendation (2), Air Medal (Republic of Vietnam), Vietnam Service Medal (5 stars), Presidential Unit Citation, and Airmans Medal.
USS Enterprise and Flight 19: Johnson would survive frequent suicide plane attacks by Japanese “Kamikaze” pilots while serving aboard the USS Enterprise, forcing its airmen to switch from the TBM Avenger (a torpedo bomber) to the F6F Hellcat, which was designed to achieve air superiority over Japan's infamous A6M Zero and was better able to counter Kamikaze attacks. The Enterprise was eventually damaged and forced to return to the States, along with Johnson, who returned to San Diego, then Kingsville, Texas, where he would receive additional training. On August 6, 1945, the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, and Johnson's training was terminated.
Still having a year left in his contract with the Navy, Johnson decided to relocate to NAS Fort Lauderdale, where he would continue flying and training. In December, 1945, Johnson was preparing to leave for volunteer duty at Great Lakes Separation Service, when news reached him of the fate of Flight 19, which took off from NAS Fort Lauderdale and disappeared off the coast, launching a decades long mystery which has yet to be definitively solved. Johnson's good friend, Bob Harmon, was part of Flight 19 and disappeared along with it, despite the tireless efforts of the hundreds of men involved in the search afterwards. Johnson, who trained heavily alongside Harmon, and was an experienced flier in all types of conditions, has a more pragmatic view of what happened to Flight 19, opposed to the many prevalent theories involving aliens, time travel, etc:, "My personal feelings about FLT 19 and what happened is simply this—The Flight Leader did not listen to some fairly experienced people who wanted to help him, both in the air and on the ground."
From a letter written by Floyd O. Johnson to Allan McElhiney:
"Howdy Allan, just a few notes to you about my times and memories of the Navy days with Bob Harmon (aka George Devlin) during World War II.
I first met Bob Harmon / George Devlin (Flight 19) in Dec., 1944 at Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii. My crew [Richter and Radioman Rogue] was returning from a short [tow] in the Admiralty Islands and were assigned to NACTU at Barbers Point. We had intense training there for three months in night flying and radar/nav work. Bob Harmon's crew was there at this time. We flew two and three times a day and had constant ground school classes. From there we deployed to Guam and the fleet anchorage at Ulithi where we reported on board the Enterprise (CVG). Carrier duty was great but the Kamakaze attacks were intense so the complement of torpedo crews was reduced to make room for fighter planes. We, about 10 crews, were sent to Guam at [Onate] Air Base and then to Marpi Point on Saipan. We lived a fair island life and [“survival”] and sub patrol.
Jap souvenirs, like helmets, swords, and junk made good “trade items” for beer, booze, or cash (of course, there was no place to spend it). We ignored the rules against exploring caves and the jungle areas. We built our own windmill wash machine from parts stolen from [cases in parts areas]. Generally we were a polite bunch of “thieves” but no one knew it until it was “too late.”
Our ranking officers (Lt. Moran and Lt. Morris) arranged to get leave orders for us from Saipan, an unheard of proposition, but we had to find our own way back to the States. We caught a Coronado (PB2Y) to [Kwo..], Johnston Island and then to Pearl Harbor. From there we [made] a Sub Tender to San Diego. We stood watch for them and they fed us “great.” From San Diego after our “leave” we went to Kingsville, Texas for more night work in radar and new training. After a couple of weeks, they broke up the crews and sent the gunners out to [...ovious] station. On our way to Florida, Joe, Bob and I managed to get a “pullman sleeper” car and talked the [conductor] into a three day long over in New Orleans. That's a great town (nuff said!).
The war ended after we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida September of 45, but Bob and I were assigned new crews and flew for a couple months. On 5 Dec I was returning from the flight line and ran into Bob. He had changed back to his real name, George Devlin, but none of us called him anything but Bob. There was a lot of confusion about his name changing so he didn't bother to try to explain it except on flight orders and official business. I loaned him my green “Sea Bee” hat to fly in that day and that was our last contact. We searched for Flight 19 for a week but to no avail. We lost a lot of good comrades and one really great friend.
I left the Navy in 1946 and went in the Air Force in 1948. I flew as a gunner on B 29s, B 36s and B 52s. I was in the Strategic Air Command for 27 years and flew over 8,000 hours as a gunner. Many things happened over those thirty years but the mystery of Flight 19 was really “something else.
Yours in Service,
SMSGT. Ret. Floyd O. Johnson (flip) USAF
P.S. thanks for your interest and dedication, Bob would be proud!”
Note: Johnson's wife Jackie, was the Family Services Coordinator for military families on base. She contributed 15,000 volunteer hours. Veteran Johnson was part of the 11th Bomb Wing selected to fly over President Harry Truman's inauguration on January 20th, 1949, and recalls what it was like to fly from Texas to Washington, D.C with 11 reporters on board.
His medals upon retiring include: The American Defense, Asiatic Pacific, Navy Good Conduct, World War II Victory and Navy Occupation, Navy Outstanding Unit, Air Force Longevity, Air Force Outstanding Unit, Air Force Good Conduct, Small Arms Expert, NCO Academy, Air Force Commendation (2), Air Medal (Republic of Vietnam), Vietnam Service Medal (5 stars), Presidential Unit Citation, and Airmans Medal.
USS Enterprise and Flight 19: Johnson would survive frequent suicide plane attacks by Japanese “Kamikaze” pilots while serving aboard the USS Enterprise, forcing its airmen to switch from the TBM Avenger (a torpedo bomber) to the F6F Hellcat, which was designed to achieve air superiority over Japan's infamous A6M Zero and was better able to counter Kamikaze attacks. The Enterprise was eventually damaged and forced to return to the States, along with Johnson, who returned to San Diego, then Kingsville, Texas, where he would receive additional training. On August 6, 1945, the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, and Johnson's training was terminated.
Still having a year left in his contract with the Navy, Johnson decided to relocate to NAS Fort Lauderdale, where he would continue flying and training. In December, 1945, Johnson was preparing to leave for volunteer duty at Great Lakes Separation Service, when news reached him of the fate of Flight 19, which took off from NAS Fort Lauderdale and disappeared off the coast, launching a decades long mystery which has yet to be definitively solved. Johnson's good friend, Bob Harmon, was part of Flight 19 and disappeared along with it, despite the tireless efforts of the hundreds of men involved in the search afterwards. Johnson, who trained heavily alongside Harmon, and was an experienced flier in all types of conditions, has a more pragmatic view of what happened to Flight 19, opposed to the many prevalent theories involving aliens, time travel, etc:, "My personal feelings about FLT 19 and what happened is simply this—The Flight Leader did not listen to some fairly experienced people who wanted to help him, both in the air and on the ground."
From a letter written by Floyd O. Johnson to Allan McElhiney:
"Howdy Allan, just a few notes to you about my times and memories of the Navy days with Bob Harmon (aka George Devlin) during World War II.
I first met Bob Harmon / George Devlin (Flight 19) in Dec., 1944 at Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii. My crew [Richter and Radioman Rogue] was returning from a short [tow] in the Admiralty Islands and were assigned to NACTU at Barbers Point. We had intense training there for three months in night flying and radar/nav work. Bob Harmon's crew was there at this time. We flew two and three times a day and had constant ground school classes. From there we deployed to Guam and the fleet anchorage at Ulithi where we reported on board the Enterprise (CVG). Carrier duty was great but the Kamakaze attacks were intense so the complement of torpedo crews was reduced to make room for fighter planes. We, about 10 crews, were sent to Guam at [Onate] Air Base and then to Marpi Point on Saipan. We lived a fair island life and [“survival”] and sub patrol.
Jap souvenirs, like helmets, swords, and junk made good “trade items” for beer, booze, or cash (of course, there was no place to spend it). We ignored the rules against exploring caves and the jungle areas. We built our own windmill wash machine from parts stolen from [cases in parts areas]. Generally we were a polite bunch of “thieves” but no one knew it until it was “too late.”
Our ranking officers (Lt. Moran and Lt. Morris) arranged to get leave orders for us from Saipan, an unheard of proposition, but we had to find our own way back to the States. We caught a Coronado (PB2Y) to [Kwo..], Johnston Island and then to Pearl Harbor. From there we [made] a Sub Tender to San Diego. We stood watch for them and they fed us “great.” From San Diego after our “leave” we went to Kingsville, Texas for more night work in radar and new training. After a couple of weeks, they broke up the crews and sent the gunners out to [...ovious] station. On our way to Florida, Joe, Bob and I managed to get a “pullman sleeper” car and talked the [conductor] into a three day long over in New Orleans. That's a great town (nuff said!).
The war ended after we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida September of 45, but Bob and I were assigned new crews and flew for a couple months. On 5 Dec I was returning from the flight line and ran into Bob. He had changed back to his real name, George Devlin, but none of us called him anything but Bob. There was a lot of confusion about his name changing so he didn't bother to try to explain it except on flight orders and official business. I loaned him my green “Sea Bee” hat to fly in that day and that was our last contact. We searched for Flight 19 for a week but to no avail. We lost a lot of good comrades and one really great friend.
I left the Navy in 1946 and went in the Air Force in 1948. I flew as a gunner on B 29s, B 36s and B 52s. I was in the Strategic Air Command for 27 years and flew over 8,000 hours as a gunner. Many things happened over those thirty years but the mystery of Flight 19 was really “something else.
Yours in Service,
SMSGT. Ret. Floyd O. Johnson (flip) USAF
P.S. thanks for your interest and dedication, Bob would be proud!”
Note: Johnson's wife Jackie, was the Family Services Coordinator for military families on base. She contributed 15,000 volunteer hours. Veteran Johnson was part of the 11th Bomb Wing selected to fly over President Harry Truman's inauguration on January 20th, 1949, and recalls what it was like to fly from Texas to Washington, D.C with 11 reporters on board.
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