[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON JOHNSON AND HONORING THE 
                      SERVICE OF MR. KEVIN JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of 
CPL. Thomas Jefferson Johnson and also honor the service of his son, 
Kevin Johnson. In 1944, Cpl. Johnson was killed in action during the 
invasion of Guam. Two years after his passing, Cpl. Johnson was buried 
by his loved ones, but it was without all the honors he deserved. On 
January 20, 2014, Kevin Johnson along with the Am Vets in Tulare, 
California gave Cpl. Johnson the funeral ceremony he rightly deserves. 
Cpl. Johnson was a source of pride for our Nation, and his service to 
our country must be honored.
  Kevin Johnson was born in Oklahoma, but when the family farm was 
wiped out in a flood, the entire Johnson family moved to Chowchilla, 
California, where his father bought a small farm. The last time Mr. 
Johnson saw his father was in Oklahoma while they were visiting family 
before he left to the Pacific Theater. Without a father, Mr. Johnson 
was raised by his mother and grandparents.
  After graduating from Tulare Union High, Mr. Johnson joined the 
military as his father did decades before. He was assigned to an Army 
Special Forces unit sent into the Vietnam jungle.
  Mr. Johnson is a proud member of Am Vets in Tulare. They have been 
performing the military ceremony at veterans' funerals since 1963. The 
volunteer honor guard includes 13 men, and they perform 120 graveside 
services a year. Mr. Johnson and the men he serves with have the 
privilege to honor hundreds of brave men and women who fought for our 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the 
life of CPL. Thomas Jefferson Johnson as he is remembered and honored 
during the funeral ceremony that is long overdue. We also must 
recognize the bravery and service of his son, Mr. Kevin Johnson.

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