AFTER MORE THAN 70 YEARS, FALLEN KOREAN WAR HERO CHARLES JOHNSON AWARDED MEDAL OF HONOR, FOLLOWS PUSH FROM CONGRESSMAN RYAN AND ENTIRE HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY

After More Than 70 Years, Fallen Korean War Hero Charles Johnson Awarded Medal of Honor, Follows Push from Congressman Ryan and Entire Hudson Valley Community

PFC Johnson, a Millbrook native and Arlington High School Grad,  was killed in action June 12, 1953 on the frontlines in South Korea; his actions are credited with saving at least eight other American soldiers

In May 2024, Ryan formally called on President Biden to award PFC Johnson the Medal of Honor, upgrading the previously awarded Silver Star

WASHINGTON, DC  –  Today, following an extended push by Congressman Pat Ryan and the Hudson Valley community, fallen Korean War hero and Arlington High School graduate Private First Class (PFC) Charles Johnson’s Silver Star will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor at a ceremony at the White House. On June 11, 1953, PFC Johnson and his fellow soldiers came under heavy fire while serving near the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. PFC Johnson was severely injured but disregarded his own condition to attend to the wounds of his comrades. Surrounded and without ammunition, PFC Johnson left the relative safety of his trench that he and his group were taking cover in to find weapons and single-handedly hold off the enemy front. PFC Johnson’s self-sacrificing actions allowed reinforcements to rescue his fellow soldiers and are credited with saving at least eight American lives. While PFC Johnson’s actions warranted the Medal of Honor, he received no military awards until 2011 when he was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest military award for gallantry in combat. 

“PFC Johnson is an absolute American hero – that’s why I fought relentlessly alongside his family and countless advocates from Arlington High School and our entire Hudson Valley community to ensure he was awarded this long overdue Medal of Honor,” said Congressman Pat Ryan.  “His exceptional bravery and selfless actions that day were derived from a life firmly grounded in service to his country and his Millbrook community, as well as an unwavering commitment and sense of duty to his brothers in uniform. I want to thank everyone whose efforts ensured that his life has the elevated place in American history that it merits - for his family, for his community, and for every American who can draw inspiration from his selfless sacrifice.”

"Charlie Johnson's heroic actions saved his classmate and men in his company during the Korean War. The study of his life and character has positively influenced thousands of Arlington students through the Charlie Johnson Legacy Project,” said Arlington Central Schools Superintendent   Dr. Phil Benante. “Our students, educators and community members have worked for over twenty years to advocate for Charlie to be honored with the Medal of Honor and today we feel an immense sense of pride and gratitude in knowing that Charlie has been appropriately honored for his acts of valor at Outpost Harry on June 12, 1953."

In his letter to President Biden, Congressman Ryan called for the immediate upgrade, noting that PFC Johnson had long been denied the proper recognition for his heroic actions and the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (FY22 NDAA) included a provision to waive the standard five-year limit on awarding the Medal of Honor in PFC Johnson’s case. Despite the FY22 NDAA being signed into law and Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommending that PFC Johnson be awarded the Medal of Honor immediately, action had not been taken to rectify the injustice until Friday’s ceremony.

PFC Johnson was a 1951 graduate of Arlington High School, where he was class vice president and a standout athlete before he joined the U.S. Army. Ryan visited Arlington High School’s Johnson Hall and Wall of Remembrance that are dedicated to PFC Johnson’s memory. Ryan also joined with the Millbrook and Arlington High School communities for a ceremony and lunch to honor the fallen hero.

In May 2001, five Arlington Middle School students conducted a research project about Arlington High School graduates who were killed during American military conflicts.  Their project culminated in a Memorial Day presentation at the Dutchess County War Memorial. When the students recited Charlie’s story, his siblings learned for the first time how their brother had died. They also met Donald Dingee, one of the men whose life Charlie had saved.

In 2004, Charlie’s family, former classmates, Arlington administrators, and the men he saved began lobbying Congress to award him the Medal of Honor. The effort gained national attention in 2010 when actors Gary Sinise and Dennis Haysbert performed a dramatic reading about Charlie’s heroism at the Capitol Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C. Following the performance, General Colin Powell spoke about the Charles Johnson Legacy Project, which urged Arlington students to live a “Charlie Johnson Moment”— helping others without expecting reward.

That same year, Arlington High School dedicated Johnson Hall and the Wall of Remembrance, honoring alumni who perished in military service. A statue of Charlie saving Don Dingee, designed and created by retired Arlington art teacher Arden Witherwax and donated by Arlington alumni, was also unveiled. It features eight character traits that defined Charlie: loyalty, brotherhood, selflessness, courage, compassion, responsibility, patriotism, and integrity.

During the dedication, Charlie was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, though many continued advocating for the Medal of Honor. The Silver Star Medal is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat.

In 2021, Congress passed a resolution waiving the requirement that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the action it recognizes. This allowed a Pentagon review of Charlie’s case, an effort championed by former Representatives Chris Gibson and Antonio Delgado, and later by Congressman Pat Ryan.

Congressman Ryan is the first West Point graduate to represent the Military Academy in Congress. He served two combat tours in Iraq as an Army intelligence officer and has long fought to deliver the recognition and benefits that veterans, servicemembers, and military families deserve. Last year, he secured replacement military medals for Vietnam veteran Sergeant Stephen Cole who had lost his original medals, and hand-delivered them in a ceremony. 

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