Congressman Johnson speaks at MCA
By SARAH BARNETT McKinney Courier-Gazette
McKinney Courier-Gazette/Elise Anderson U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson delivers his remarks at McKinney Christian Academy Tuesday.
United States Congressman Sam Johnson urged McKinney Christian Academy students to be good Christians and good citizens during their first chapel service of the school year yesterday.
Johnson spoke extensively about his experiences in Vietnam, and the importance of faith in times of great adversity.
During a 1966 bombing mission, Johnson was shot down in north Vietnam, and subsequently held as a POW for seven years. At the beginning of his captivity, he was tried, found guilty, and marched out for execution blindfolded. Standing next to a slip trench, he faced five men who slapped in their cartridges and took aim. Johnson had been to Sunday School with him mom, but never believed in the Lord. At that moment, though, he prayed as hard as he could, Johnson told students.
When the man said fire, "Those guns went click click click," Johnson said. "I laughed at them. From that day forward, I was never afraid of them because I knew the Lord was with me."
Johnson then related his experiences during seven years as a POW, mostly in the Hanoi Hilton building of the POW camp. He explained that all of the buildings were named after Las Vegas hotels because, "It was a crapshoot."
The only building not named after a hotel was the high-security Alcatraz, where Johnson spent two and a half in solitary confinement. Johnson told students that he got to know bugs and even ate a few during 72 days in legstocks.
After explaining how his faith carried him through the adversity faced during his final years in Hanoi, Johnson demonstrated the method the POWs used to communicate with each other during the war, a series of coughing, hacking and spitting to spell out letters and abbreviated words. He briefly reviewed the signing of the peace treaty and his release.
"[Johnson] is a hero and truly a man who can teach our young people much about honor and integrity," said Todd Clingman, headmaster. MCA chapels expose students to those of the Christian faith who serve as role models.
Johnson has represented District 3 since 1991. He is the highest ranking Texan on both the Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
©2004 The Courier-Gazette, Texas