Lyndon Baines Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 –1973) was the 36th President of the United States. His Great Society legislation included laws that upheld civil rights,Medicare,Medicaid,environmental protection,aid to education,aid to the arts,urban and rural development and his War on Poverty. His civil rights bills banned racial discrimination in public facilities,interstate commerce,the workplace,and housing,and a powerful voting rights act guaranteed full voting rights for citizens of all races. With the passage of the sweeping Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965,the country’s immigration system was reformed and all national origins quotas were removed. Johnson was renowned for his domineering personality and the “Johnson treatment,” his coercion of powerful politicians in order to advance legislation.

Medic has obtained the military records of Lyndon Baines Johnson,which include his Service Records; Medical Records; Efficiency Reports; Correspondence; Reference Correspondence. His Awards file contains one decoration only,for actions which occurred aboard a B-26 Marauder bomber on a mission to New Guinea in 1942. Johnson said the plane was attacked by Japanese fighters but survived but US and UK news reports,and an article in The Marauder Thunder,the newspaper of The B-26 Historical Society,indicate Johnson did nothing to earn the Silver Star bestowed on him by General Douglas MacArthur. Although Johnson wrote a letter (never mailed) to MacArthur declining the medal,he wore the Silver Star lapel pin throughout his long political career.

During the Vietnam war,Johnson used the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to deploy unlimited military force in Southeast Asia without having to ask for an official declaration of war. American military personnel in Vietnam increased from 16,000 advisors roles in 1963 to 550,00 in 1968. Over time American casualties soared and the peace process bogged down. Massive bombing campaigns targeting North Vietnamese cities were ordered,and millions of gallons of the herbicide Agent Orange were sprayed on Vietnamese land. Despite these actions,the war continued and the public began to doubt the administration’s claims that victory was close at hand. Growing unease with the war stimulated a large,angry antiwar movement based especially on university campuses in the U.S. and abroad.

Johnson faced further troubles when summer riots broke out in most major cities after 1965,and crime rates soared. After Johnson did poorly in the 1968 New Hampshire primary,he ended his bid for reelection. He died four years after leaving office. Johnson is ranked favorably by some historians because of his domestic policies.

Wikipedia bio of LBJ