Oral History Interview with Harold Johnson, April 16, 2004

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Johnson. Johnson joined the Navy in April, 1941. After basic training in San Diego, he was assigned to USS Oklahoma (BB-37). During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Johnson was aboard the Oklahoma and at his battle station in one of the turrets when the ship rolled over. He made it into the water and was rescued by a boat. Soon after, Johnson was assigned to USS Worden (DD-352). He was aboard when the Worden sank in the Aleutians in January 1943. He was then assigned to patrol craft escort duty from Cuba to the Panama Canal. He did that for a year before being assigned to an LST, which transited to the Pacific and was involved in the invasion of the Philippines and Okinawa. Johnson rotated back to the US and was home when the war ended. He was recalled for the Korean War and served aboard an auxiliary transport until 1952