COLONEL A. ALLEN JOHNSON received the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism while a private with the 102nd Infantry, 26th Division, in France on 26 September 1918. He volunteered to accompany a party whose mission was to bombard hostile machine gun emplacement. Under heavy shell fire, he approached to within 30 feet of the emplacement when he was fired on through loop-holes in a stone wall. Working his way behind the wall, he enfiladed the enemy with rifle fire and effected their capture with the machine gun.

Col. Johnson joined the Legion of Valor as a life member and resided in Connecticut. He was the Legion of Valor National Commander 1943-1944.