ZEELAND, Mich. (WXMI) — A 100-year-old distinguished Army veteran received a high honor Friday, being named a member of Special Forces regiment for the time he served as a young man in the Office of Strategic Services Operational Groups.
Initially trained as a surgical nurse, Ellsworth Johnson spent time in China and France, working top secret maneuvers that he was barred from talking about once he returned home.
It wasn't until 1995 that the government declassified his work overseas— Johnson's children only recently learned about their father's time in the service.
“We knew he was in the Army. We all knew that as kids, but we would ask the question, 'What did you do?' And he was really vague about it,” his son Jim Johnson told FOX 17, WXYZ's Grand Rapids sister station, Friday.
His daughter Nancy Moseler said they are now, "starting to appreciate and learn more and more every year the things he's saying.”
On Friday, he was presented with a Special Forces patch and a Green Beret.
The ceremony was held at Zeeland's Riley Grove Assisted Living Center, where Johnson now lives.
The Army determined recently that because of Johnson's service, he meets all the requirements to officially become a member of the Special Forces Regiment.
"This is an extremely rare event and, quite frankly, the last of its kind that will ever occur. We are all excited to welcome Mr. Ellsworth as a member of the Special Forces Regiment," Major Russell M. Gordon, director of public affairs for the 1st Special Forces Command, said about the occasion.
In addition to the high honor Johnson received Friday, he has previously received two Bronze Stars.
Bronze Stars are given to service members for heroic achievement in a combat zone.
He was also awarded the First Legion of Honor Medal from France for his efforts on the ground there.
