Originally Posted by
ExAF
I was stationed at Shady J years ago. Every time I say "Seymore Johnson" my teenage son just cracks up. "See More Johnson....That's hilarious dad....I can't believe they would name a base like that." Sorry for the thread jack, but every time someone mentions Shady J, I see my son cracking up laughing. Back to your regularly scheduled program.
Try telling your son that the base was named for Navy Lt Seymour A. Johnson who died for his country in March 1941 test flying a F4F-3. A Navel Academy Graduate with over 4000 flying hours, the folks in his home town, Goldsboro, NC, thought so much of him, they asked the Air Corps to name their new base after him. Today, Lt Johnson is immortalized by being the only Navel Officer to have a Air Force base named for him, and by having his initials, SJ, grace the tails of the over 80 F-15Es of the most legendary fighter wing in the USAF. Not bad for a Red Neck Squid with a funny name. Tell you son that, maybe he won't laugh so hard.