Decades after Private First Class Horace Johnson, Jr. lost his life while serving his country, his family and friends still remember the impact he made and wanted to honor him in the best way they could. On May 14, 2021, Macon-Bibb County held a ceremony to officially dedicate the intersection of Hopewell Road and Midway Road to him.
Family, friends, veterans, and neighbors gathered near the intersection to unveil the sign that would help people remember his name and sacrifice.
“He was my hero. He was my older brother. He would send me letters from Vietnam. When we got the news, we were devastated,” said Wallace Johnson. “It’s a great honor to be able to do this for him.”
“Dedicating our public spaces to men and women for protecting us is a small but very meaningful gesture,” said District 6 Commissioner Raymond Wilder. “I urge all people to find ways to remember those we’ve lost and celebrate those still protecting us.”
“The debt we owe to the people who protect us is immeasurable, but it’s one we must pay every day through actions big and small,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “Dedicating this intersection will let Private First Class Johnson’s family and friends know, every day, that we remember and thank him for his service and commitment to them, our community, and our country.”
PFC Johnson was born in Lizella in 1948 and served in the Vietnam War from 1967 – 1968 as a Military Occupational Specialty 0311 Rifleman in the United States Marine Corps. He served with the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force (MAF), 2nd Combined Action Group (CAG), United States Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMFPAC) Infantry Division.
On August 19, 1968, PFC Johnson was part of a patrol sent to sweep the Quang Nam Province area that engaged in a small arms and automatic weapons fight against North Vietnamese ground forces. PFC Johnson was struck by enemy gunfire and killed while serving our country and saving the lives of his comrades on the field of battle.