VET THANKS HIS HERO
PBS program to include Vietnam War rescue story
Dave Johnson, right, on
For more than 40 years, Vietnam War veteran Dave Johnson wanted to say thank you to the man who saved his life in 1972.
The Villages resident gets that chance when Ann Curry and the PBS series “We’ll Meet Again” tell his story at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Johnson, 78, longed to reunite with Bruce Grable, who rescued him after a helicopter crash in Cambodia.
“I’ve been thinking about this guy over 46 years, nearly every day,” Johnson said. “When I wake up in the morning, I’m thankful that I’m here. He and his crew are responsible for saving us.”
“We’ll Meet Again” arranges their poignant reunion when the series starts its second season. (The episode “Saved in Vietnam” also tells of a soldier who searches for the surgeon who saved his leg from amputation.)
Johnson served three tours in Vietnam. He was in U.S. infantry units during the first two, and he was wounded by a booby trap during the second. On the third tour, the Army officer was working as an adviser to the Vietnamese and on a reconnaissance mission in Cambodia. He was one of six men on a chopper that was shot down. Johnson sent out a mayday call, and Chinook helicopter commander Grable and his crew of four responded.
“They said, ‘Let’s go get ’em,’” Johnson said. “We would have been killed or captured that day. Without their coming in to get us, we would have been finished. My feeling was here is the guy that I owe the last 46 years of my life to.”
Johnson recommended Grable for the Distinguished Flying Cross. Through “We’ll Meet Again,” Johnson learns Grable received the honor. The program airs shortly after Veterans Day, and Johnson hopes viewers
“My feeling was here is the guy that I owe the last 46 years of my life to.” Dave Johnson,
take away a message.
“I’m not the hero in this story. Never was,” he said. “I was a passenger on a helicopter that got shot down, and I was a passenger on a helicopter that came and saved us. The heroes of this day are Bruce Grable and his crew.”
The show presents Johnson’s search for Grable as an adventure, Johnson learns he lives in South Carolina, and their reunion is the climax. Johnson shares his gratitude for a life that has included a 54-year marriage, two children and three grandchildren. He left the Army in 1989, then worked as an airport manager and a farmer.
Johnson saw “We’ll Meet Again” last season, and it renewed his interest in finding Grable. Johnson reached out, the production company was intrigued, and host Curry put him at ease during their interview. He called her gracious and welcoming. Was he a fan?
“I am now,” he said. “I always thought she was great on NBC.”
Curry said in an email: “Dave Johnson showed real courage recounting his memories of his three tours of duty in Vietnam. It is hard to have to remember things you’d rather forget. But it was clear Dave was willing to go through the pain of those memories because he wanted a chance to honor the man who saved his life under fire. Our team was humbled by this good, brave man.”
Johnson hasn’t seen the show, and he’s nervous about it. He will watch with Grable and their wives Tuesday in The Villages, a retirement community 45 miles northwest of Orlando.
“This was a pivotal event for me, and it shows that you never know the degree of impact you have on someone’s life,” Grable said.
“This is a private thing for me and him. I want to share it together without a crowd,” Johnson said. “I hope that this comes out in the show — I want to honor him and his crew for what they did. It was huge. Here’s a guy that went way beyond what was expected. I’m the recipient of his valorous actions.”
Vietnam War veteran