Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System honors namesake

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System celebrated its namesake’s 74th birthday on Wednesday.

Medal of Honor Recipient Pfc. Ralph H. Johnson was honored at the Ralph H. Johnson Health Care System.

Johnson was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Vietnam in 1968. Johnson heroically gave his life and was killed saving two of his fellow Marines. To honor his bravery, President Nixon awarded Johnson with the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the health care system continues to celebrate his birthday as a small way to say thank you.

When the hospital was renamed to the Ralph H. Johnson VA, Johnson became the first African American soldier to have a VA named after him, according to Chief Executive Officer Scott Isaacks.

Isaacks says he considers the Johnson family as a significant part of the hospital and expressed how proud they are to celebrate his life together. He says they make an effort to honor Johnson each day by striving to emulate his level of courage and bravery.

“He’s just an incredibly heroic young man who gave his life for his fellow soldiers in Vietnam so we try to emulate that every day at the VA,” Isaacks says, “We’ve got a lot of veterans that work for us and non-veterans that are working for the VA who give back to veterans like Ralph who gave so much.”

Johnson would have been 74 years old Wednesday.

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