If Santa had a Christmas record for the Chilly Struggle, it would look one thing like Basic Harold Ok. Johnson’s. A Finnish immigrant, a Vietnam Struggle widow, and a future president of the USA all made the reduce — a testomony to the worldwide attain and private contact of a person who led the Military throughout the Nineteen Sixties.
Every identify on the record tells a narrative concerning the Chilly Struggle’s “the place” and “who.” Alpo Ok. Marttinen emigrated from Finland and wrote the U.S. Military’s winter warfare doctrine. He acquired playing cards from Basic Johnson at Fort Riley, in Panama, and in Iran. Nancy Lynch, the widow, was pregnant together with her second youngster when her husband was killed in Vietnam. Her husband, Richard, died advising a battalion of Vietnamese rangers in 1964 after serving as Johnson’s aide. Governor Ronald Reagan, a rising political star in 1967, acquired a card too. Collectively, these recipients — and a whole lot of others — illustrate the Military’s international presence, deep relationships, and evolving priorities throughout this vital interval.
I stumbled throughout Johnson’s Christmas card lists final 12 months within the Military’s archives. Because the sender of greater than 100 playing cards every December myself, Johnson’s record offered a window into the person’s personal life and relationships — and the typically unsung work of navy spouses. My household’s playing cards preserve us linked with previous associates and comrades, give my children a glimpse of their ever-moving associates world wide, nurture aspirational relationships, and reinforce current bonds.
Johnson’s lists — with entries starting from Military specialists to statesmen — struck me like a snow globe, capturing a frozen second of the Chilly Struggle’s individuals and locations, shaken to life with every identify and deal with.
Johnson’s Chilly Struggle Christmas Playing cards
Johnson despatched lots of Christmas playing cards to lots of locations. Born in Bowesmont, North Dakota — a close to–ghost city at this time — Johnson survived World Struggle II as a prisoner of the Japanese, fought in Korea, and have become the second youngest chief of employees of the U.S. Military. A 1933 West Level graduate, he married Dorothy Rennix in 1935. Within the Philippines initially of World Struggle II, he survived the Bataan Loss of life March and spent the conflict in captivity. Then, throughout the Korean Struggle, Johnson earned a Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest navy ornament for heroism, for his actions on the Pusan Perimeter. As a brand new normal, Johnson relocated the eighth Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado, to Germany, the place it remained till casing its colours in 1992. Johnson stayed in Germany in Military and NATO assignments till 1960. Johnson then commanded the Military’s Command and Basic Workers Faculty at Fort Leavenworth, the place he taught college students to “problem the assertion” — a phrase talked about by President Lyndon Johnson when Basic Johnson retired. After a brief stint because the Military’s senior operations officer, Johnson leapfrogged 43 different officers to change into the chief of employees. In that position, he advocated for counter-insurgency in Vietnam over an attritional strategy. As chief of employees of the Military from 1964 to 1968, Johnson balanced the load of world tasks with a deep dedication to religion, household, and custom — by no means failing to ship Christmas playing cards that mirrored the relationships and priorities of a outstanding life.
Johnson’s Christmas card lists are prolonged, however it seems that he solely checked them as soon as. This text relies on 785 deal with entries from three lists: his hand-written 1959 record has 164 entries; his typed 1963 record has 264 entries; and his staff-prepared 1967 record has 357 entries.
Decoding these lists required some judgment, because the snippet beneath from his 1959 record exhibits. I’m not an knowledgeable within the mid–Chilly Struggle or Johnson’s story, so my interpretation leaned closely on Lewis Sorley’s Honorable Warrior and Johnson’s archived correspondence.
Picture credit score: U.S. Military Heritage and Schooling Middle
As we analyze Johnson’s card lists, word that these lists solely present a snapshot of his community. Simply as my household’s record evolves by a mixture of dusting off the previous record, contemplating who has despatched us playing cards just lately, and my latest contacts, Johnson’s record probably doesn’t seize the complete breadth of his relationships or their significance. Whereas the names, ranks, and places on the lists allow us to uncover traits and ask questions, additionally they require cautious inference and recognizing what’s lacking — each in context and intent.
First, we’ll take a look at the “the place” of his playing cards.
Christmas Greetings Throughout the Globe
The locations of Johnson’s Christmas playing cards correspond with the Military’s international footprint throughout the Chilly Struggle. They reveal anticipated hubs like Germany and Vietnam, stunning gaps within the Center East, and the evolution of U.S. navy priorities. These addresses are greater than locations on a map; they hint the Military’s shifting presence and Johnson’s private ties to its operations worldwide.
The “hexbin” map beneath supplies a way of the place Johnsons’ card locations — and the disposition of the Military within the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties. Playing cards throughout the USA land roughly as anticipated: a plurality (211 entries) in a decent cluster round Washington, DC, and on the east coast, in addition to concentrations in Kansas (42), together with Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, and California (25).
Picture credit score: Writer
It’s also a map of a distinct Military. Whereas California stays a heart of the Navy at this time, Reagan’s California is shiny crimson on the map, hinting on the rather more important Military presence then. The traditional Presidio of San Francisco acquired 10 playing cards, because the Presidio of Monterey and Fort Ord acquired three. Right this moment, the one important Military set up in California is the Mojave Desert’s Fort Irwin, dwelling of the Nationwide Coaching Middle. Although a king-maker project at this time, it hardly existed then. Likewise, Fort Holabird in southeast Baltimore acquired two playing cards, whereas Fort McPherson in southwest Atlanta acquired one. Over time, congressional cost-cutting closed these metropolis places in favor of bigger, extra economical bases.
Overseas, the massive variety of playing cards to Europe, Korea, and Japan displays the Military’s power posture that has existed for the reason that finish of World Struggle II. Then, as now, power posture was not static. Because the deputy division commander, Johnson introduced the eighth Infantry Division from Fort Carson to Germany as a part of Operation Gyroscope — which is remarkably just like at this time’s rotation of brigades.
Johnson’s playing cards to Vietnam match elevated American involvement there. He despatched just one card there in 1959 to Lt. Col. Tyrone Tisdale. In 1963, Tisdale, again in Vietnam as an advisor, and three others acquired playing cards. The rely jumped to 12 in 1967 together with Basic Cao Văn Viên, the chairman of the South Vietnamese joint normal employees.
Different playing cards despatched overseas went to lesser identified or forgotten Military websites. He despatched three playing cards to the Ryukyu Islands (together with Okinawa), which the USA ruled immediately till 1972. He additionally despatched 5 playing cards to Panama, the place the Military secured the Panama Canal from 1903 to 1979.
The playing cards additionally remind us how a lot U.S. international coverage has modified. Lots of of 1000’s of Individuals have cycled by Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and different nations over the past three many years, however the Center East was not a spotlight for the Military within the Nineteen Sixties. Johnson despatched solely a single card to the Center East — and it went to Iran. That card went in 1967 to Colonel Marttinen, the post-war Finnish immigrant, who served on the Army Help Advisory Group in Iran about 10 years earlier than the Iranian revolution.
Turkey, which straddles Europe and the Center East, additionally acquired 4 playing cards. Turkey joined NATO in 1952, and Johnson despatched three playing cards to Individuals working for the Joint American Army Mission for Support to Turkey and the Central Treaty Group. As one among many post-war makes an attempt to create NATO-like entities, the group included Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and the UK.
Disappointingly, Johnson’s card locations miss some essential Chilly Struggle places. Santa may have popped over to the Military’s nuclear-powered Camp Century beneath Greenland’s ice sheet or celebrated a tropical Christmas on Kwajalein, however Johnson didn’t ship playing cards to both. Likewise, I think about the chief of employees of the Air Power and chief of naval operations most likely despatched playing cards to the Philippines, which hosted Clark Air Base and the Navy base at Subic Bay, or locations like Korat Royal Thai Air Power Base that housed models just like the 388th Fighter Wing throughout the Vietnam Struggle.
Delivering presents to navy households throughout the mid–Chilly Struggle will need to have taken fairly a little bit of Santa’s time and a spotlight as individuals moved world wide. Nevertheless, Johnson’s playing cards adopted individuals. From generals to troopers, and household to political leaders, the “who” behind the playing cards exhibits the human aspect of the Chilly Struggle.
A Private Contact
Harold Ok. Johnson’s Christmas playing cards had been greater than vacation greetings. By them, he could have rekindled previous friendships, constructed new bridges, and celebrated the bonds that mattered most, all whereas juggling the calls for of a life main the Military.
A lot of Johnson’s playing cards went to household, shut associates, and trusted colleagues. A core group of 70 individuals acquired playing cards in 1959, 1963, and 1967, displaying their enduring significance in his life. In that group, thick linkages to household and associates within the higher Midwest is evident. Annually, Johnson despatched a household Christmas publication to his closest family and friends members. His 1966 letter is the quintessential Christmas replace: he introduced the start of his new grandson Matt, wished his son Jim effectively as he shipped out for Vietnam, defined his different son Bobby’s determination to withdraw from West Level, and even assigned presents to individuals. Whereas the addressee record for these annual updates just isn’t completely clear, Johnson despatched 41 playing cards throughout the Dakotas and Minnesota. This included 5 members of the Johnson household in North Dakota and Minnesota receiving eight playing cards complete, and 7 delivered to the city of Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Johnson additionally bolstered bonds with junior troopers and subordinates. Sergeant First Class Frank Kaiser, his longtime driver (and typically gardener), acquired a card in 1959, whereas Sergeant Warren Barlow acquired three playing cards through the years. Barlow even despatched Johnson a heartfelt reply outlining his targets for private {and professional} development in 1968.
Johnson’s playing cards typically mirrored a deep dedication to reconnecting with previous associates and honoring previous relationships. A number of widows of his former colleagues acquired playing cards, comparable to Mrs. Joseph W. Stilwell and Mrs. Herman Beukema. Basic “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell had handed away in 1946, whereas Brig. Gen. Herman Beukema, a key determine in West Level’s Division of Social Sciences, died in 1960. Persevering with to ship them letters displays a dedication to their reminiscence and suggests friendships between their spouses.
In 1967, maybe recognizing his last 12 months as Chief of Workers, Johnson despatched playing cards to previous associates. Frank Anders, a fellow prisoner of conflict in World Struggle II, acquired a card that 12 months. Rescued forward of Johnson, Anders had knowledgeable Johnson’s spouse that he was nonetheless alive within the chaotic finish of the conflict. Equally, Oren Hurlburt, a West Level classmate and longtime good friend, acquired playing cards in 1963 and 1967. Hurlburt’s assist throughout Johnson’s restoration within the Philippines, together with steak dinners and jeep rides, underscores the enduring nature of those friendships.
However past private ties, a lot of his playing cards additionally appear aimed toward constructing relationships with leaders, each inside and outdoors the navy. Of the 785 playing cards he despatched, 15 went to individuals addressed as “Honorable,” signaling their important roles in authorities. In 1967, these included Ronald Reagan, then the governor of California; the forty sixth speaker of the Home of Representatives; and the chief government officer of Lockheed. This record displays the connections Johnson constructed as a senior navy chief, bridging the worlds of protection, business, and politics.
He prolonged this apply to international leaders, typically cultivating newer, transactional relationships alongside long-standing friendships. In 1963, Johnson despatched playing cards to 4 navy educators within the Republic of China, although none seem on the 1959 or 1967 lists. In 1967, he despatched a card to Bernardino Parada Moreno, former commander-in-chief of the Chilean Military and ambassador to Paraguay, whom Johnson had hosted throughout a go to. Different relationships withstood the check of time. French Military Basic Pierre Renauld acquired letters in all three years as each he and Johnson rose from main generals to full generals. In 1963 and 1967, he additionally despatched playing cards to German Military Basic Friderich “Fritz” Berendson, who seems to have fought within the Vietnam Struggle, surprisingly. In 1967, Johnson additionally despatched a card to Maj. Gen. Chan Ansuchote of the Thai Border Police. They reconnected a few years after first assembly within the Command and Basic Workers Faculty class of 1949.
Regardless of Johnson’s expansive record, there have been notable omissions. As an example, whereas he despatched a card to his longtime driver Sergeant Frank Kaiser in 1959, Kaiser is absent from subsequent lists. Equally, Johnson’s first first sergeant, Frank Cumiskey, is curiously excluded. Johnson and Cumiskey exchanged many letters (comparable to this congratulatory word), and Johnson even attributes his early success within the Military to him. Like many vacation mailing lists, Johnson’s had its oversights, however his playing cards remind us of the facility of small gestures to honor relationships, close to and much — a lesson worthy of heeding in our personal lives.
The Military Goes Rolling Alongside
Gen. Harold Ok. Johnson’s Christmas playing cards remind us that the “who” typically issues greater than the “the place.” The Military goes rolling alongside, stationed in dozens of nations worldwide, nevertheless it’s the individuals — leaders, troopers, and households — who type the true spine of its mission. As you toast your loved ones this vacation season, take a second to consider everybody on the road, removed from dwelling. They’ve little say in the place they’re despatched, however they serve our nation.
These playing cards additionally underscore the significance of preserving and learning archives like these the Military maintains at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Johnson’s lists, although incomplete and imperfect, present a snapshot of the Military’s priorities and relationships throughout a vital time within the Chilly Struggle. They present how the non-public {and professional} intersect, revealing the facility of connection — and its gaps. Maybe, in his ambition or the calls for of his place, Johnson missed some personally essential individuals. His instance challenges us to do higher: to achieve out to those that matter in our lives, not simply throughout the holidays however all 12 months lengthy.
The Military’s story is one among locations and folks, and Johnson’s playing cards function a small however poignant reminder of each. By these easy vacation greetings, we’re inspired to consider who we worth, why they matter, and the way we are able to honor their contributions — whether or not they’re household, colleagues, or these removed from dwelling conserving the Military’s mission alive.
Zachary Griffiths is an Military officer who directs the Harding Venture to resume skilled navy writing.
