Remembering Ralph H. Johnson, the Charleston Marine the VA Honors Every Day

Ralph H. Johnson was born on January 11, 1949, in Charleston, South Carolina. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and deployed to Vietnam, where at just 19 years old he gave his life to save his fellow Marines. For that act of selfless courage, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously — the nation’s highest military decoration.

His name endures in the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, which stands as a living tribute to his legacy — serving veterans and their families with the same courage, dignity, and compassion he exemplified.

On what would have been his birthday, Friends of Fisher House Charleston honors a son of Charleston whose legacy will never fade.