Raymond Johnson’s 100th Birthday - 10th Mountain Division Veteran
May 7, 2024 - VAIL, Colo. — Today, Saturday, May 11, 2024, is an incredibly special day as we get to wish Raymond A. Johnson a happy 100th birthday! Ray served with the 10th Mountain Division during World War II, Company G - 85th Mountain Infantry. From all of us at the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame, just 22 miles east of Camp Hale where you trained, we wish you a happy birthday, Ray!
Ray was born in Rose Lake, Idaho in 1924. At age 5, Ray and his siblings moved to Coeur d'Alene. The family homestead bordered on Lake Coeur d'Alene's Cougar Bay and extended west up Cougar Ridge. He was 17 and a senior when World War II broke out. Ray was drafted in 1943 and went to Salt Lake City to be inducted as ordered. He entered military service on March 18, 1943.
During basic and advanced training, a call went out for men who could ski, and since Ray was a skier, he signed up. Ray was a skier before entering service but minimized his skill, when asked by family, explaining that his skis growing up were handmade. He practiced up on a hill at the farm.
After signing up for the new ski troops, Ray was sent to train at the famed Camp Hale in Colorado. Ray's training was rigorous but prepared these soldiers for the battles to come. Between November 1943 and June 1944, Ray and his unit trained at an elevation of over 9000 feet near Leadville, Colorado. On completion of his training there, he was officially assigned to the 10th Mountain Division.
Raymond A. Johnson — at the farm in uniform.
His service brought him to Italy in December 1944. Private Johnson’s unit first encountered the Germans just north of Florence, Italy in late February 1945. They ultimately chased the Germans north to the base of the Alps, near Lake Garda, Italy, at which point Germany surrendered. Over the next few months, Ray was involved in many battles, most without names, ordered to take the next hill and then the next.
Ray fought in the Apennine Mountains along the Gothic Line. While the 10th Mountain Division scaled Riva Ridge and Mt. Belvedere to defeat the Germans, Ray recalls that our Army Air Corps flew planes overhead to mute any noise the climbers would make.
After Riva Ridge and Mt. Belvedere were secured and despite the resolution negotiated in May 1945, there was continued armed resistance. Ray, now a technical sergeant, was sent to eliminate a radio station occupied and controlled by Nazis. The station was 70 miles into the Alps and was run by Yugoslavs who continued to broadcast pleas for Germans to continue to fight. This feat was accomplished with minimal casualties. Furthermore, Ray received a Bronze Star at Hill 909 for advancing his company toward an enemy objective, exposing himself to lead the attack forward, and taking accurate aim to remove the enemy, two snipers. Later, he assisted with organizing defenses, constantly on alert to ensure against infiltration. Ray fought superlative actions full of boldness and bravery.
After the War, at age 21, Ray returned to life in Coeur d'Alene, which included the large Johnson farming family. Ray became a journeyman carpenter with Union Local 1691. In 1946, Ray met Vickie at a local skating rink and asked her to join him for the couple's skate. The two married on February 28, 1948, and enjoyed 74 loving years together, raising their four boys.
When Ray was asked about the secret to his wonderful marriage to Vickie, he said,
“We never tried to change each other.”
Ray attended 10th Mountain Division reunions and even visited Colorado to check out the Denver Public Library's 10th Mountain Division Resource Center. In 1996, Ray helped to promote and was honored at his hometown screening of the film “Fire on the Mountain” produced by Beth and George Gage.
Today, Ray will be celebrating with family and friends in Idaho. Thank you for your courageous service, Ray. As one of the last surviving veterans of the 10th Mountain Division, we hope we can continue to share and preserve your story and legacy. We are forever grateful to you.
The Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame would like to thank the entire Johnson family, Chad Burnett, and 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits for working with us on this story - especially Donna, Tim, and Ray. Happiest of birthdays, Ray, from all of us at the Museum.
SOURCES:
Johnson Family and Ray Johnson himself
Chad Burnett
Rotary Club written history on Ray Johnson (2017)
Article by Richard Sheldon with Museum of North Idaho’s Moving History Forward printed August 26, 2023, in The Press.
About the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame:
Founded in 1975 and located in Vail, Colorado, our mission is to celebrate Colorado snow sports by telling stories that educate and inspire others to seek adventure. The priceless artifacts we collect and display tell the story of the birth, rise and explosion of skiing and snowboarding in Colorado. The Museum features displays including Climb to Glory about the 10th Mountain Division, Vail's DNA, The Colorado Snowboard Archive, and The Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame, among many others. Learn more and consider supporting the Museum by becoming a member: https://www.snowsportsmuseum.org.