Everett Johnson, of Oliver Thaddeus Johnson and Della T Everett, was born in Washington Township, Adams County, Indiana on the fourteenth of June in 1914 (Ancestry). He lived in Washington Township up until he enlisted into the military. Since he was able, he worked on a farm while going to school (Indiana Historical). He went to school until his sophomore year of high school when he dropped out to work solely on the farm. Everett enlisted into the Army on October 5th 1942 and reported for service on the 19th of the same month. Johnson would achieve the rank of Private in the Army and was assigned to the 335th Engineer Regiment. The Engineer Regiment was responsible for rebuilding roads, bridges, and railways destroyed by the war. Others in their unit worked to string pipelines and clear mine fields. In preparations for war, Private Johnson drowned on December 4th in 1942 while participating in assault boat maneuvers at Camp White in Oregon. A memorial located at the Decatur Cemetery commemorates his life. After his death, his unit went on to contribute to the war effort. His unit was activated at Camp Gruber in Oklahoma on June 20th 1942. They staged at Fort Dix in New Jersey until departing on the New York Part of Embarkation on the 2nd of April in 1943 and arrived at Oran, North Africa on the 13th of April. Following the Allied invasion of Southern France, the unit landed at St. Tropez on August 23 1944. They also entered Mannheim, Germany on the 6th of April of 1945. Finally, they returned to the US on March 16th 1946 and was inactivated the following day. The 335th regiment is credited with the following campaigns: Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe. For his service, Private Harden received the American Service Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Information collected and researched by Jenna Fenwick, 2015.
American Legion Post No468, and Berne & Community Business Men, comps. Service Record:World War I and II - Book of Men and Women of Berne, Indiana and Community.Marceline: Walsworth Brothers, n.d. Print.
"Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials." Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr.
Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.
"Military History/Fathers Unit-WWII." Military History: Fathers Unit-WWII, 69th Infantry Division, Camp Gruber Oklahoma. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Military-History-669/2010/2/Fathers-Unit-WWII.htm.