Prior to his 27 years of service as a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sam Johnson was a United States Air Force Colonel and decorated fighter pilot. Johnson is a combat veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He flew 62 combat missions in Korea and downed a MiG-15 while flying the F-86 Sabre. Between his service in the two conflicts, Johnson flew F-100 Super Sabres with the Air Force’s precision demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. On August 16, 1966, while on his 25th combat mission over Vietnam, Johnson’s F-4 Phantom II was shot down and he spent seven years as a prisoner of war, including 42 months in solitary confinement. After his release in 1973, he returned to his home state of Texas and established a real estate business, but his thoughts turned again to public service. Johnson served in the Texas House of Representatives for over five years, beginning in 1985 and assumed his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1991, where he has been re-elected continuously since. As an elected official, he has championed causes for his electorate and veteran’s rights. He will retire from Congress this year.
