Political Quotes

“our nation has lost a truly great American in the recent passing of Admiral Roy Lee Johnson, USN (Ret.), who died March 20th in Virginia Beach, Virginia at the age of 93. My Senate colleagues should know that he was the father of Jo-Anne Coe, long-time top aide to Senator Bob Dole. We all join in sending our deepest sympathy to Jo-Anne and her family. Admiral Johnson had a distinguished Naval career of over 38 years, culminating in his appointment as Commander in Chief of U.S. Naval forces in the Pacific (CINCPACFLT) from 1965-67 at the height of the Vietnam conflict. Prior to this, he was Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet. In his capacity, he gave the order to the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy to fire back at Viet Cong gunboats in the Tonkin Gulf incident. Admiral Johnson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929. A pioneer of naval aviation, he received his wings in 1932, and served as a flight instructor at the U.S. Navy flight school at Pensacola, Florida, in the biplane era in the early 1930's and again in the 1950's. After retirement, he served a term as president of the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association, nicknamed ``The Golden Eagles'', and from 1980-81 was President of the Naval Academy Alumni Association. During World War Two he served on the USS Hornet, which won a Presidential Unit Citation.”