POCATELLO — The local Veterans Memorial Association will hold the long-awaited ceremony for Pocatello’s only Medal of Honor recipient on Saturday.

Marine Sgt. James E. Johnson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after being killed in action during the Korean War.

Miguel Dominic, historian of the Veterans Memorial Association, said Sgt. Johnson’s daughter, Stephanie Johnson, is coming to the Gate City for the ceremony that will honor her father’s courage and sacrifice.

The ceremony at which an official replica of Sgt. Johnson’s Medal of Honor will be unveiled will start at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Veterans Memorial Building on 300 N. Johnson Ave. in Pocatello.

“(Stephanie Johnson) is flying in from Georgia so she can see her dad’s Medal of Honor,” Dominic said. “He’s Pocatello’s only Medal of Honor recipient.”

Dominic said Sgt. Johnson left to serve during the Korean War not long after Stephanie was born.

“(Sgt. Johnson) was last seen mortally wounded while defending his friends,” Dominic said. “His body was never recovered.”

According to the Marine Corps University website, Johnson was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest honor for his heroic lone fight on Dec. 2, 1950, in which he covered the withdrawal of his platoon during the bitter Chosin Reservoir campaign in Korea. When last seen by the Marines in his unit, he was mortally wounded but still engaging the enemy. Johnson was declared missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, and then listed as killed in action in November 1953.

“Vastly outnumbered by a well-entrenched and cleverly concealed enemy force wearing the uniforms of friendly troops and attacking his platoon’s open and unconcealed positions, Sgt. Johnson unhesitatingly took charge of his platoon in the absence of the leader and, exhibiting great personal valor in the face of a heavy barrage of hostile fire, coolly proceeded to move about among his men shouting words of encouragement and inspiration and skillfully directing their fire,” Johnson’s Medal of Honor citation reads. “Ordered to displace his platoon during the fire fight, he immediately placed himself in an extremely hazardous position from which he could provide covering fire for his men. Fully aware that his voluntary action meant either certain death or capture to himself, he courageously continued to provide effective cover for his men and was last observed in a wounded condition single-handedly engaging enemy troops in close hand grenade and hand-to-hand fighting.”

Dominic spent two years trying to get an official replica of Sgt. Johnson’s Medal of Honor from the federal government to put on display at the Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building. There were a lot of hurdles that Dominic had to get over in order to obtain the medal and have it sent to Pocatello.

“It had to be in a bulletproof case (and) it had to be in a locked room,” Dominic said about the requirements for displaying the medal.

Another thing that will happen at the unveiling ceremony is that Stephanie Johnson will take a DNA test. Dominic said her DNA is needed because there is a chance that Sgt. Johnson’s remains have been found.

“Her dad’s remains could be in the ‘Punchbowl’ (National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific) in Hawaii,” Dominic said.

Stephanie still has her father’s original Medal of Honor.

Dominic said he’s looking forward to unveiling the official replica of the medal with Stephanie in attendance. He said she has come before for events at the Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building and he looks forward to seeing her again.

“She gets to see that her dad’s memory is still alive in Pocatello,” Dominic said. “How great would it be to see the Medal of Honor and a tribute to him on the wall.”

In addition to Stephanie Johnson, there will be other special guests in attendance on Nov. 2 including representatives from Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo’s office, Dominic said.

“They were instrumental in helping us get the Medal of Honor to the building,” Dominic said about Sen. Crapo and his staff.

More information about the Veterans Memorial Association can be found on their website at bc-vma.org.