Wes Johnson, U.S. Air Force

After completing basic training at Lackland AFB and medical training in Montgomery Alabama, I was transferred to Japan and Korea for 13 months. While there as a medical technician, I flew wounded and sick military personal from Korea to Japan, within Korea and within Japan. During this time I experienced several interesting situations: 1) Transported a very seriously wounded soldier back to Korea so he could be placed on a kidney machine (only one in the Far East). 2) Moved a polio patient from Korea to Japan in a portable iron lung. 3) Brought UN POW's from Korea to Japan. 4) Escorted a group of Filipino soldier from Japan to Philippians. 5) Evacuated wounded North Koreans and Chinese soldiers after they tried to break out of our POW camp. 6) Evacuated wounded from island off coast of Korea where we had to land and take off on a beach while the tide was out. 7) Handled many other situations too difficult to mention.

After returning to the states, I was assigned to Boling AFB in Washington DC. I never wanted to be stationed in Washington but with the military I had no choice. The only good thing that came out of that city was when I met and married my wife Anne 50 years ago.

My last assignment was at the Pentagon where we treated Air Force General Officers and the Secretary of the Air Force. That was both very interesting and nerve-racking experience. As a general statement generals were easy to treat as long as they were confident that we knew what we were doing. Sometimes we had to "bluff' a little and hope everything came out OK.. I guess it did since I made Staff Sergeant and received an honorable discharge on December 31, 1955.