Norman H. Johnson was born and raised in Covington. His father was a conductor on the L&N and was killed in a train wreck in 1938 when he was only 13. It profoundly changed his life.

He served in World War II after enlisting in the Army. He was so young that he lied about his age in order to enlist. After spending time in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, he moved to Michigan and then to Iceland. There they unloaded every ship by hand. They unloaded bags of cement in order to build the runway. His favorite thing was when they were unloading fresh fruit and the person in charge would give them an apple or orange to eat. From Iceland they arrived on the beaches of Normandy about 7 days after D-day. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his time in Europe. After the army, he met his future wife. They married in 1946 and spent the next 50 years together. He was proud of his service but seldom spoke of it. Of their 10 children, 5 served in the Air Force.

A funny fact, my mom only had one brother and my dad only had one sister. They ended up marrying each other. Our cousins are double cousins.

Written by Dan Johnson, son

Banner was displayed May-November 2021, 2022, and 2023 in Erlanger.