Turner Yearwood Johnston

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SERVICE Turner Yearwood Johnston was born in Loraine, Mitchell County, Texas on October 17th, 1921, to Clifton and Ellie Smith Johnston. He was the oldest of six children: Clifton Johnston Jr., Mary Francis Johnston Roberts, John Robert Johnston, Sammye Jo Johnston Gray, and Virginia Ellen Johnston Daniels. Funeral Service with presentation of Army Air Corps Awards to the family will be at 2:00pm on Saturday, October 21st, 2023, at Dossman Funeral Home. Burial with Full Military Honors will follow funeral service as Turner Yearwood Johnston will be placed in his final resting place in North Belton Cemetery with his parents. In a letter that Turner’s father wrote to the Dallas Historical Society on November 22nd, 1943, we know the following: Turner attended public schools at Weslaco, TX, Edcouch, TX and completed high school at a latter place. He entered the Armed services at Brownsville, TX on December 15th, 1941, and was assigned to Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, TX for training in Aviation-Mechanics. He completed his training there on May 30th, 1942, with an average grade of 96, the highest grade in his class. After completing that training, he was transferred to the Lockheed factory in Santa Monica, CA for special training. From there, he was sent to the Oakland, CA Municipal Airport where he was made Assistant Crew Chief. On Nov 28th, 1942, he was transferred to combat service and sent to Las Vegas, NV gunnery school. He graduated around January 10th, 1943, and was promoted to SSGT and received his crewman wings. Then he was transferred to Tucson, AZ and was assigned to a crew of a B-24 Liberator bomber for further training where he received his engineering diploma. After 3 months in Arizona, Turner was sent to Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, TX for a finishing course which he completed on May 24th and was promoted to TSGT. From there, the squadron was sent to a base in Topeka, KS for briefing. On June 12th, 1943, they flew to the Libya arriving around June 22nd, 1943. It is believed that he flew several combat missions, for a total of 46 combat hours before his mission to Romania. On August 1st, 1943, Turner was a TSGT Engineer/Radio Operator/Gunner on the B-24 Liberator Yen Tu, that was part of the 415 Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force. TSGT Johnston lost his life in the Ploesti raid “Operation Tidal Wave” August 1st, 1943. One of the most daring raids of WWII, coming in at tree top level, the 98th BG destroyed Romanian oil refineries. TSGT Johnston was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valor on this mission. The Yen Tu, flown by Lt. Edward T. McGuire and crew was briefed to fly in the 5th and last wave attacking White IV. The plane was hit by flack on approach to the target and some of the crew were killed. The pilots climbed to allow the remaining crew safe egress. Three gunners in the tail section bailed out successfully with the assistance of Turner, who was not able to bail out himself. The Yen Tu is reported to have crashed in flames at Barcanesti. The bodies of the other 7 crew members of the Yen Tu were never recovered. It was shortly after that mission; Turner’s dad got a letter from one of the 3 survivors of the Yen Tu crash. SSGT Clark Fitzpatrick of Scipio, IN, Wrote, “He is the first Edcouch soldier to die in combat action. I have a sad story to tell you and one that I had rather not tell, but I must. Your son, Staff Sgt Turner Y. Johnston is dead. He never had a chance in the world to come out of it alive. It was this way. Our gas tank suffered a direct hit which threw gas all over, completely enveloping the plane and catching it on fire. Your son gave the order to abandon ship, but only we three in the bottom of the ship could do so as the doors were sealed and not a chance to bail out. We bailed out in the oil fields. We did not see our ship crash but were later told that it crashed burning into a barracks which also was burning. You can see by this that none of them had a chance. Sgt Johnston was of the greatest and bravest men I ever saw, he had no thought of himself. Even when he knew there was no chance for him, he ordered us to abandon ship. He was one of the bravest men I have ever known.” TSGT Johnston appears on the Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery Florence, Italy. His remains were never recovered or identified at that time. TSGT Johnston was awarded the Air Medal for his mission over Rome, and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart for his mission over Romania. In 2017, the Defense POW/MIA accounting Agency, keeping with fulfilling our nation’s promise to account for all our MIA’s and POW’s, had the unidentified remains of 87 crewmen from that mission returned to the United States for identification and return to their families. On April 25th, 2023, Turner’s remains were identified, and family contacted and now he can come home to rest. The public is invited to attend the coming home of an American Hero of the Greatest Generation