Born in the Island of Puerto Rico.  We are United States Citizens by birth when Puerto Rico was ceded to the US after the Spanish American War in 1898. I was raised in the island, until mother migrated to the United States.  My sister Carmen and I decided that we did not wanted to be held back in school, due to a language barrier, and worked on 20 English words a day(read, write and spell) to learn the language and communicate with our teachers.  We learned English in 6 months.  I graduated from high school in 1966 and immediately entered the United States Army.  From Fort Rucker, Alabama, I was responsible for the payment of wages and salaries for National Guards and Reserves Units activated to go into combat in Viet Nam. 

At Fort Rucker, I met and married, Warrant Officer Peter Johnson, son of Major General Chester Lee Chittenden Johnson. As time went by, Warrant Officer Johnson transferred  to the Air Force, flying the C-130 to Europe from Ellington AF Base, Texas. Soon after, he became Major Johnson.  Today he is a retired officer and presently flies as a private corporate pilot out of Houston Hobby Millionaire.  

Peter and I have two children:  Jennifer and Sonia.  Jennifer has her own business in Friendswood, Texas.  Sonia is a farmer and lives in Romayor, Texas. They both love what they do.  Peter and I have six grandchildren.

He was a graduate of West Point, a patriot, loving father and family man. General Barry R. McCaffrey (USA Retired), who gave his farewell military eulogy at West Point Cemetery, New York  recall's General Johnson as a "man of strength".

"His courage was recognized with the awards of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf cluster for service during combat against the Japanese".

He conducted himself with honor  and valor during his Bataan Death March during his captivity.  He was a "tower of integrity, compassion and spiritual strength among the sick and injured". He was a prisoner of the Japanese for three years.

in 1980, General Johnson and fellow prisoners erected a memorial honoring the 3000 braved American soldiers who died at the Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Camp.  

He was an accomplished soldier, a teacher, intellectual with a Harvard graduate degree in History who taught at West Point and The Army War College. In Korea, General Johnson was the Commander of the 7th Division in South Korea next to the DMZ.  He was the Attache in Mexico serving President Kennedy in the 1960's and the Commander of the Panama Canal Zone, among many other assignments, contributing our United States National Security.

General Mc Caffrey recalls General Johnson as being a delight, despite his torture and horror during his WWII, service as a Prisoner of the Japanese. 

His courage and warmth is remembered by us, who loved and admired his dedication to his country and love of this family.