Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Unit: 1st Marine Division, 1st Recon Battalion, D Company
Military Honors: Navy Cross, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: April 28, 1966 - KIA near Xuan Ngoc, Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam
Age: 18
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

Clement “Sonny” Johnston Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at his local Pittsburgh recruiting office just three days after his 17th birthday.

While serving as a rifleman in South Vietnam, as part of a reconnaissance mission during “Operation Wyoming,” Corporal Johnston’s platoon was attacked by enemy Viet Cong insurgents. Johnston was awarded the Navy Cross for his fast action and bravery in sacrificing his own life to save others.

His Navy Cross citation reads:

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Clement B. Johnston, Jr. (2116397), Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as a member of a reconnaissance platoon, Company D, First Reconnaissance Battalion, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in action against enemy Viet Cong forces in the vicinity of Xuan Ngoc Village in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 28 April 1966. Corporal Johnston, a fellow Marine, and a Navy Corpsman were occupying a position when an undetermined number of insurgents (Viet Cong) quietly approached their location and threw two hand grenades into their midst. Corporal Johnston saw one of the grenades and leaped at his companions, knocking them to the ground and shielding them from the blast of the grenade. In so doing he absorbed the terrific force of the explosion and saved his friends from major injuries and possible loss of life. Corporal Johnston’s courageous action and selfless devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the cause of freedom.

Corporal Johnston is honored at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., panel 07e, Line 5.

Sources
Details submitted by Mr. Ralph Johnston, brother to Corporal Clement B. Johnston Jr.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, The Wall of Faces: Clement B. Johnston Jr.
HonorStates.org: Clement B. Johnston Jr.
Home of Heroes: Johnston, Clement B., Jr.
Burial Site: Find a Grave