He flew combat missions in Korea (1950-53). He was one of the first to fly in the Air Force THUNDERBIRDS, a precision flying team of men that was formed in 1953. He was a “top gun” in this group of men who have nerves of steel. A few years later (1966) he was flying a combat mission in Viet Nam when he was shot down, As a result Sam Johnson spent seven years as a prisoner of war in the “Hanoi Hilton”.
Sam Johnson was my Congressman for over twenty years when I lived in Texas—now he’s graduated into heaven and is Winging it with Angels!
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I was on the Plano Board of the Chamber of Commerce when I first met Sam Johnson. He was serving one of his seven years in the Texas State Legislature. He often got our input during his time at home and also briefed the Chamber on what was happening in the Capitol down in Austin.
When Congressman Bartlett, who represented the 3rd District of Texas in Washington stepped down, Sam was elected in 1991 to replace him in the United States Congress. That became the first of thirteen terms! Sam won most elections with overwhelming vote margins of 70% or more.
I was also a member of Rotary at the time, and once a year Sam would visit the Club and give us updates on the state of things in Washington.
Whenever I was able to visit alone with Sam, I found him to be a warm and genuine person. I often saw Sam at Town Halls that he sponsored when he was back in Plano on Congressional breaks.
One of his private e-mail addresses in Congress began with Tbird—a reference to his stint in the Thunderbirds. Whenever I felt the need for information or to make a comment, I would e-mail Sam. As busy as he was, he often responded within a day.
His wife, Shirley, spent her last years in a wheelchair. Even though Washington was a thousand miles away, Sam was often in attendance at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco on Sunday mornings… pushing Shirley’s wheelchair as they entered the sanctuary.
One time he gave a talk to the Marathon Fellowship Group at Stonebriar. We were celebrating Memorial Day, and he told about his time in the Hanoi Prison in Vietnam after being shot down…
When he ejected from his aircraft, his right arm was broken in two places, his left shoulder dislocated, and his back broken. He couldn’t use either arm. (Note: Johnson used to be right-handed, but became left-handed because his right arm never totally healed—his captors kept breaking it.)
While in prison, Sam experienced great loneliness and could have given up in despair. Instead, he gave his all to the Lord—he put all his fears, anxieties and feelings of isolation into the Lord’s hands. When he thought he could stand the isolation no longer, he felt the Lord’s presence surround him. This gave Sam renewed strength and courage to go on. He became more and more resolved to resist the enemy and to not give up.
As he came closer to God and focused on Him, Sam was surprised all that he could remember and recall—from Bible verses and stories learned as a child to hymns sung many years before. Even when the guards increased their patrols and vigilance and put him in isolation that stopped any communication with other POWs, Sam could still talk freely with God.
Johnson knew God was with him every moment he spent alone in the constraint of the dark and filthy cell. He was certain God heard his prayers and provided the recall of those Bible stories and verses as he needed them to sustain and strengthen his trust in the Lord. He would need that trust in the long days and nights that he still had to experience.
During those seven years of captivity in Vietnam, Sam was placed for lengths of time in wooden leg stocks followed by time in leg irons. He noticed that the swelling of his ankles would lessen after being in the leg stocks, so when the irons were put back on, they would be looser. He said prayers of thanks to God for that relief.
Sam relates that one day a typhoon storm raged. A nearby river overflowed its banks, and he watched the water pour into his cell. He was standing on a slab which was about two feet higher than the floor. He pleaded with God to save him and the others. Night fell and gradually the rain began to stop. The next morning Sam looked out his cell’s small, barred window and saw a marvelous sight—an absolutely perfect rainbow! He knew God had meant it for him. Sam said, “I see it Lord….Your promise.”
As time went on the POWs were allowed to have worship on Easter, and then on other Sundays as well. Music and singing of Christmas carols and hymns followed. Sam later wrote, “I had seen the hand of God at work too often not to recognize His touch at this time. For me, all these things were more evidence of God’s great grace.” He felt that without God by his side he never would have made it.
His wife, Shirley, did not know for two and a half years that he was anything but MIA—Missing In Action. Finally she was told that Sam was a POW. He was released from captivity on February 12, 1973.
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During his time in Congress Sam chaired a number of committees…among them the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Sam’s major interests were Social Security, taxation, health, and immigration reform. The last time I saw Sam was at a Town Hall meeting he held on the prevention of identity theft.
According to his Congressional biography, Johnson was the recipient of two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals and three Outstanding Unit Awards. In 2011 Johnson accepted the Freedom of Flight award at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards, known colloquially as the “Oscars” of aviation.
One of Sam’s favorite scripture verses was Isaiah 40:29-31: "He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary."
Sam Johnson died on May 27, 2020, of natural causes in Plano, Texas, the city where he lived the last years of his life. He was 89.
When Sam entered heaven, I’m sure that the Lord wrapped His arms around Sam, welcomed him, gave him those “wings like eagles” and that Sam is now soaring.
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Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 ESV
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV
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