Nelson Beck Johnson

Nelson Beck Johnson, Major, U.S.A.R. (Ret.) April 8, 1933 - June 2, 2017 Nelson Beck Johnson was born at Peking Union Medical College in Peking, China where his father, Nelson Trusler Johnson was serving as American Minister and later Ambassador to China. He lived in Japanese occupied Peking after 1937 until 1940. The family was briefly in Nanking shortly before the infamous Rape of Nanking. From 1937 to 1940, he, his mother and sister lived in Peking and his father went on with Chiang Kai-shek to the wartime capital of Chungking. Nelson went to the Peking American School. After 4 years of separation, the family was reunited in Washington, D.C.

After Ambassador Johnson requested a quiet post, the family went to Australia in 1941 prior to Pearl Harbor where he served as Minister and Ambassador. After the battle of Guadalcanal, young Nelson and his sister accompanied their parents to Melbourne where the First Marine Division was having R & R after the battle. The Commanding Officer, Gen. Archie Vandergrift, who had served in Peking, made young Nelson a Sgt. Major (permanent) in the First Marine Division at age nine. While in Canberra, he attended the Boys Grammar School. In 1945, he returned to the Unites States of America. Recently he was interviewed for a documentary that is about to be released, called "The China Marines". His Marine uniform, made for him in Peking, has been donated to the National Museum of the Marine Corps where an exhibit on the "China Marines" is planned.

Upon graduating from St James High School in Hagerstown, MD in 1952, he enlisted with the US Marine Aviation Reserves in 1952 at the Anacostia Naval Air Station in Washington D.C. As a Private, he learned to maintain the F8F Bearcat Fighter aircraft assigned to the USMC, VMF 321st (Hells Angels) Squadron at Anacostia Naval Air Station, Washington D.C. Upon completion of his basic reserve training, he was promoted to Private First Class and was assigned to an F8 aircraft as Plane Captain. In 1953, upon graduation from USMC Basic training at Parris Island, SC, he was assigned to duty at the USMC detachment in Annapolis, MD. He was admitted to the US Naval Academy for a semester and decided to change his academic direction. He completed a year at George Washington University, and during that year his father passed away. He next attended the University of Wyoming in 1955, where he joined the Army ROTC program. He started a business in Laramie selling HiFi equipment and records, and then teamed up with several friends to create a corporation to pursue several other business interests, however that came to an end when he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science at the University of Wyoming, at Laramie, Wyoming, and was then commissioned a Second Lieutenant USAR, in January 1959.

He married Harriet Fetcher that same year in Steamboat Springs Colorado and they had two sons. His primary military education included the Army Security Agency, Officer Basic Course, and Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course, both at Fort Devens, MA. He then attended the Joint Senior Cryptologic Course, at the National Security Agency. Throughout his career, he continued his specialized training to enhance his technical and professional understanding and capabilities in Signals Intelligence, Computers, Electronic Warfare/Reconnaissance, Signal Security, Human Intelligence and Surveillance Operations and the undertaking of Strategic and Tactical Threat Analysis.

Major Johnson served in numerous command and staff positions of responsibility during his twenty years of Military Service. Prior to retiring from the Army, he was Officer in Charge of a Collection Detachment on the South Korean Demilitarized Zone near Munsani in support of the 7th Infantry Div. He then commanded a tactical ASA Collection Unit, in support of 1st Cavalry Division, I Corps, 8th US Army in the central sector of the Korean Peninsula at the critical time of President Kennedy's assassination. These units also were an integral part of the National SIGINT system controlled by NSA. Later, he served as the S-3 of 502d MI Group in Augsburg, then in West Germany, where he developed and coordinated the implementation of the post-Vietnam ASA Group reactivation plans in West Germany, which had previously been drawn down to build up the Army Cryptologic force structure in the conflict in South East Asia. While in West Germany, he was successively assigned to the Group headquarters to perform a pre-activation IG inspection then as the S-3 Operations officer to the Group. Next, he was assigned as Executive Officer of the 302nd, Intelligence and Security Battalion in support of V Corps in West Germany during a critical period of reconstituting and rebuilding the Tactical Intelligence and Security forces in support of USAREUR and the Seventh Army. Before his retirement, he then served HQ USAREUR in a senior Cryptologic Staff position developing plans to integrate the ASA units into the US Army deployed in Europe at the time when the Army Security Agency was reorganized into the US Army Intelligence and Security Command. Throughout his career, Major Johnson also served in a variety of senior staff positions in Component, Joint and Combined in intelligence, counter-intelligence, and security Forces in the United States, Korea, Vietnam, and Europe. First, he trained and became proficient as a Radio Traffic Analyst and as an Operations Officer. He then served successively as a Communications Officer at the National Security Agency developing a deep understanding of our Global Signals Intelligence operations and how it worked. He next served as a desk analyst overseeing the ground missions in the Far East. This required an understanding of the need to use and translate from Chinese to English to Chinese to foster rapid translations, interpretations, analysis and response by combat and strategic forces. In a Staff capacity, he served at a succession of major command Headquarters from Headquarters Army Security Agency in Washington DC, through the J-2 MACV, in South Vietnam; the S-3, 502d ASA Group in West Germany, and XO, 321st ASA Bn., V Corps, Frankfurt, West Germany. Finally, between 1977 & 1980, he served as the SIGNINT/ EW Architect on the Intelligence Staff of USAREUR, 7th Army, in Heidelberg, West Germany. This last assignment, he planned and supported the execution of the Army Security Agency units in Germany, into a fully integrated Direct Support Units of the US Army, Europe. Upon the completion if this assignment, he retired. Awards and decorations Major Johnson received while on Active Duty include: The Legion of Merit (to be validated), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (otherwise with oak leaf cluster), the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters for service during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. He also received decorations presented by South Vietnam and Korea. As a retiree, he served an additional 20 years as a consultant working for ESL Corporation, TRW, ManTech International, and RCA Corporation. He worked in support of many Army Intelligence and Electronic Warfare projects and programs involving Threat Assessment/Definition to include Doctrine development/enhancement and the articulation of Requirements in capability both tactical and strategic. Much of his work became standards that brought the Army Intelligence and Electronic Warfare capabilities forward into the modern Army extant in the early part of the 21st Century. Over the last 10 years, he was very active in support of the ASA Alumni Association. He coordinated annual reunions that were regularly attended by retired members fromacross the country.

Mr. Johnson died at the age of 84, on June 2nd in Falls Church, Virginia. Mr. Johnson is survived by his sister, two sons, seven grandchildren, two nephews, 3 grand-nephews, a grand-niece, and former wife Harriet Johnson. Mr. Johnson will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.