Marion P. Johnson
Major (Retired)
U.S. Air Force
Marion P. Johnson was born on July 1, 1921, on the family farm near Roland, Iowa. He was the sixth of eight children born to Maria Magdalena (Maggie) and Peder Elias (Eli) Johnson. His mother emigrated from Norway with her mother and sister when Maggie was 11 years old. Marion’s father was a first generation son of Norwegian immigrants. Marion married Mardean M. Fry on February 10, 1942 in the Salem Lutheran Church in Roland. They had one son, David.
Marion entered active duty with the Army Air Corps on April 18, 1943, and learned to fly in La Junta, California. He became a flight instructor at a base near Warrensburg, Missouri. He was discharged from the Army on October 18, 1945, and joined the Reserves. He retired from the U. S. Air Force as a Major on July 1, 1981. After farming in Story County, Iowa for about 20 years he served as Assistant Adjutant of the Iowa Department of the American Legion from 1967 to 1975. He was editor of the Legion’s newspaper. He then served as Adjutant of the Idaho Department of the American Legion. He retired in 1983, and he and Mardean moved to North Liberty, Iowa, in 1997 to be close to relatives. Marion passed away on October 2, 2007. He is buried in the Roland Cemetery.
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