Info Sheet - Charles O. Johnson
Died 7 February 2023
CPT Charles O. Johnson was the Heavy Weapons Section Leader of the Centaur
Gun Platoon June 1967 to July 1968. His wife Linda was with him when he died. Some of his Hooch Mates in Vietnam were Bruce Powell, Charlie Rice, Larry Patterson, Dale Dow.
Obituary: Johnson, Charles O., Tuesday February 7, 2023, Beloved husband of Linda Johnson (nee Reeves); dear father of Chuck (Lisa) Johnson; dear grandfather of Collin and Sean; our dear brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project.
Services: Funeral from KUTIS SOUTH COUNTY CHAPEL, 5255 Lemay Ferry Rd., Mon. Feb. 20, Interment J.B. National Cemetery. Visitation Sunday.
Bruce Powell: Charlie and I were very close in Nam. We were hootch mates and flew many hot missions together. He was a true combat hero and very major contributor to the development of our great Centaur Website. He was the Webmaster of our site for many years, spending countless hours, and dollars, trying to reach all of our Centaur veterans and continuing to expand our website. His son Chuck Johnson stuck with his dad through some tough last years, and helped him to stay in contact with the Centaurs until the end. May he rest in peace.
Tom Fleming: Charlie and I were close both while we served together in Vietnam and then at early 3/4 Cav Reunions when we were among a very few Centaurs who attended the reunions. We all met after the 2nd or 3rd reunion we attended and discussed how we could generate more D Troop attendance. Charlie volunteered to upgrade the website and have it generated on his company server. It would be focused on the D Troop legacy. The web page was well received and generated significant interest. Many of the viewers came to the next reunion and asked how they could help. Notable among the recruited troopers was Dale Dow and Bruce Powell. Charlie was the catalyst and worker bee that started and helped grow what we have today in the centaursinvietnam.org organization.
Charlie now joins our other brave troopers in Fiddlers Green who paved the way for our legacy . He will not be forgotten.
REST IN PEACE BRAVE WARRIOR
Rick Williams: Our tours in Vietnam overlapped for about 9 months, so I got to know Charlie Johnson very well. During that time, I found Charlie to be an excellent leader of the “Hogs” gunships, and a highly respected and well-liked member of D Troop. Charlie’s call sign was “Centaur 40,” and he and I flew missions together including one that was audio recorded here http://www.centaursinvietnam.org/WarStories/WarEssays/E_SabreAlphaSptAud.html
At 6 minutes and 15 seconds point, you can hear Centaur 40 and me conversing just before a gun run on an enemy position.
Charlie’s passing has saddened me, but he served his country well and I’ll remember him with feelings of admiration and respect.
Pat Eastes: Very sorry to hear this. He was definitely one of the good guys. Condolences to his family.
Jim Messina: What a gentleman. My first reunion was 2000 in Lexington KY. I got some good pictures while there. They ended up on the website. I THINK that's when Charlie offered up his computer service for the site.
Rick Arthur: I will always hold him in high esteme. A hero in every sense of the word.
Shellie Rice (Charlie Rice's wife): I was sad to see that Chuck Johnson passed in February. I remember Charlie talking about him saying he was the nicest guy. I do remember meeting him at a reunion. Also, I was shocked to see that Tom Meeks passed.... Charlie also really liked him. He died on March 28th, Charlie died on March 28th five years prior (2018). Yes, it's been 5 years. Sometimes it feels like yesterday. Well, I truly believe both of those guys were "met" by Charlie and Bill Cirincione when they left this earth. The bond of the band of brothers never breaks...