The long road to getting appropriate honor

Salinas >> Johnnie D. Johnson of Salinas has received medals for his 20 years of service in the Navy before, but he never participated in any kind of award ceremony.

"This has never happened before," he said recently in the Salinas office of Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, where Johnson finally received the Vietnam Service Medal. "For one of my other medals, they just handed me a letter. I didn't even know what it was for."

Johnson is one of an uncounted number of veterans whose collection of medals didn't necessarily reflect his service. Thanks to his own curiosity and a dedicated case-worker, though, he was able to correct his record. Panetta presented Johnson's corrected award in a small ceremony, finally "closing the door" on a chapter of Johnson's military career.

Johnson began his military service on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, and recalls Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war.

"I knew something big was going on," said Johnson of the busy days, "but I didn't know what."

Pilots and planes were readied to provide air support in case of an attack on evacuating helicopters, and "Vulture's Row," the viewing area from the vessel's tower, bustled with activity.

As a weather observer, Johnson helped provide backup and information to support the massive coordinated effort to get thousands of Americans and Vietnamese out of the city. But until a 2003 bill amended the original 1965 award criteria, his service didn't count as part of the Vietnam War effort. April 29 and 30 of 1975, the days of mobilization and action for Operation Frequent Wind, were not included in the award's original time frame because they occurred after the 1973 Vietnam cease-fire.

And even afterward, any veteran who wanted to exchange the more general Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for the more specific Vietnam Service Medal was required to request a conversion — a bureaucratic process that proves confusing or difficult for some veterans. For example, a veteran needs to include a copy of his or her DD-214, a complete and verified record of service and awards, along with a correction form. In Johnson's case, he had to petition for a second look after his first attempt to exchange his medal was rejected.

"You can only have one or the other," said Johnson, "and this was the one I wanted."

Johnson reached out to Panetta's office, and a caseworker named Manny Jimenez took up the issue. Jimenez dug deeper, and found that Johnson was in fact eligible for the correction. While presenting Johnson with his medal, Panetta credited Jimenez for chasing down loose ends and navigating myriad additional forms and submissions.

Panetta is himself a veteran, having served as an officer in the United States Navy, Reserve Component and overseas in Afghanistan.

"Obviously I'm very proud of my service in the U.S. Navy as well as my time overseas serving in Afghanistan," said Panetta, "but nothing makes me prouder than serving those who serve us."

In 2017, Panetta's office handled around 200 cases regarding veteran service records and benefits in general. But following the award presentation and its local media coverage, he says at least one or two other veterans with the same issue as Johnson have reached out already.

"There are a number of veterans who came and settled here on the Central Coast who have these issues. Our caseworkers will be busy coming up, but that's why they are in that position," said Panetta. "This is what the job is about, being that bridge from the Central Coast to the federal government, the bureaucracies and back."

For Johnson, the main benefit of this experience has been closure and recognition for one part of his 20-year career in the Navy. "I can finally call myself a Vietnam veteran," he said.

Johnson's friend, Dick Hanover, who is also a Navy veteran, smiled and readied his camera before the ceremony. "Only 43 years late," he said to Johnson, "but here we go."