Colonel Nick Johnson excelled as an aviator, commander, and senior staff officer. General Pat Brady described him as one of the three finest DUSTOFF pilot/commanders he had ever served with. Nick served two tours in Vietnam – platoon leader with the lst Cavalry Division and Commander, Long Binh Dustoff where he flew 650 medevac hours evacuating more than 1,000 casualties. Before modern civilian EMS helicopter services, Nick played a huge role as an original curator of the MAST program, designed to bring battlefield emergency medical services to civilians in the U.S. He was awarded the Master Army Aviator Badge, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, and thirty Air Medals. Aside from his war record, his most notable contribution to his DUSTOFF legacy were his monumental efforts as Chief, Medical Evacuation Proponency Division in having the UH-60 Black Hawk type classified as an autonomous medical evacuation platform. Nick Johnson was inducted into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame on 18 February 2023.
