Tiger Survivors List
(Created by PFC Wayne "Johnnie" Johnson)

In October 1950, a North Korean Army major referred to as "The Tiger" took command of more than 700 American service men who had been captured and interned as prisoners of war (POWs). In August 1953 following the signing of the armistice, only 262 of these men returned alive. One of the survivors, Army Private First Class Wayne A. "Johnnie" Johnson, risked his life during his imprisonment by secretly recording the names of 496 fellow prisoners who had died during their captivity.

The Department of Defense debriefed all returning American POWs concerning their knowledge of those who did not return from the Communist prison system. Private Johnson's painstakingly written record was a major contribution to this effort and helped to determine or confirm the fate of many POWs.

In 1995 a Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) analyst learned about Johnson's Tiger Survivors List while attending a Korean War Ex-POW reunion in Sacramento, California. DPMO analysts then located intelligence archives which contained Johnson's original debriefing report as well as other POW reports corroborating his information. Among these records was also found a debriefer's handwritten memorandum recommending that Private Johnson be recognized for his bravery. This information was forwarded to the Department of the Army, and in 1996, Private Johnson was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third highest military combat decoration for valor.

Enclosed is a typed listing of the names on Private Johnson's Tiger Survivors List. A document examiner was able to recover almost all the names from Private Johnson's original wartime list. Some entries, however, could not be saved. Thus, there are fewer than 496 names on the typed listing.

ENTRIES ARE PRESENTED IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:

Notes:Date Deceased is given as YYMMDD and is actual date deceased as recorded by PFC Johnnie Johnson. Unit is only given where applicable, and Division is only given if other than the 24th.


Alphabetical Index
[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z]


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