From a contemporary press report:
Donald A. Johnson, 62, a retired Army colonel who spent most of his military career as a health care administrator, died August 7, 2002, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He had multiple myeloma.
Colonel Johnson, who lived in Silver Spring, was born in Pittsburgh. He graduated from Morgan State University and received a master's degree in health care administration at Baylor University.
In 1962, he began his 30-year military career, 21 years of which were spent in health care administration. He served in Korea, Vietnam, Germany and various locations in the United States. He had lived in the Washington area off and on since 1970.
Colonel Johnson attended the Army's Command and General Staff College, the Army War College and the American College of Health Care Executives. His decorations included a Legion of Merit with an oak leaf cluster, a Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters and a Meritorious Service Medal with an oak leaf cluster.
After his military retirement, he was a senior medical science and technology consultant for the Logistics Management Institute assigned to the Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick.
Survivors include his wife, Jacqueline I. Johnson of Silver Spring; three children, Donald A. Johnson Jr. of Rockville, Kelly J. Johnson of Rockville and Stephen T. Johnson of Columbia; and three grandchildren.
JOHNSON, DONALD A., SR., Col. USA (Ret.)
Of Silver Spring, MD, entered into eternal rest on August 7, 2002. He was the
beloved husband of Jacqueline I. Johnson; the loving father of Donald A. Johnson Jr., Kelly J. Johnson and Stephen T. Johnson; the dear father-in-law to Glenda X. Johnson and Peita M. Johnson; adoring grandfather of Nina B. and Micah J. Johnson and Olivia M. Johnson. He is preceded in death by his parents, William A. and Anna M. White Johnson; his brothers, Harold V. Johnson and William A. Johnson Jr. of Pittsburgh, PA. He is also survived by his sisters, Barbara J. Johnson, Carol E. Wilson and Gladys G. Valentine, also of Pittsburgh, PA.
Funeral services are to be held on Tuesday, August 20, 9 a.m. at the Memorial Chapel in Fort Myers, VA with interment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery. Donations to the American Cancer Society may be made in lieu of flowers. Donations in memory of Col. Donald A. Johnson can be made by phone at 1-800-ACS-2345, by mail to American Cancer Society, 11331 Amherst Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20902 or on line at www.cancer.org.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard