Cape Cod World War II Veteran Celebrates 105th Birthday
A special birthday celebration took place on Wednesday, March 19, in Barnstable for a World War II veteran who had turned 105.
A party for Freeman K. Johnson, born March 11, 2020, was held at the Barnstable Adult Community Center, where he was joined by family and friends. Johnson was escorted into his celebration by Barnstable Police and Navy officers.
According to a Boston 25 News report, Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Boston at age 19. He served aboard the USS St. Louis, which played a significant role during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Johnson said he was stationed in a boiler room during the attack. He and his fellow sailors worked desperately to get the ship moving. The USS St. Louis was the second ship that exited Pearl Harbor that day, earning the vessel the nickname “The Lucky Lou.”
After serving at Pearl Harbor, Johnson then was transferred to the USS Iowa, which transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Tehran for a wartime conference with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Johnson later witnessed the surrender of Japan that brought an end to World War II while he was aboard the USS Iowa in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.
Following the war, Johnson lived and worked in Waltham as a machinist for the rest of his career at W.H. Nichols. According to the Cape Cod Times, his wife of 50 years, Ruth Hills, died in 2002. In addition to his daughter Diane, with whom he resides, Johnson has two other daughters, Edie McGrath of Marlborough and Cindy Landry in South Carolina; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Johnson, a Centerville resident, is the oldest registered living citizen in Massachusetts. He was presented the historic Boston Post Cane Award, which has recognized the oldest living citizens in towns across New England for several generations.
Johnson said that his advice for a long life is “to keep moving and have a glass of red wine every day.”
