Local black military heroes discuss their experiences

Helen Richards and her brother, Medal of Honor recipient Ralph Johnson, stayed up talking most of the night, the last one he would spend at home before leaving for Vietnam.

Her brother told her what she should do in case he didn't come back, and the final time they spoke was the next morning. They said their good byes, and Johnson carried his duffel bag to the cab waiting outside.

"It was like he knew this was the last time he would be with his family," Richards said.

Less than a year later, on March 5, 1968, her brother died in Vietnam when he hurled himself onto a grenade. His heroic actions saved the lives of the two Marines next to him.

Richards' personal story of her last memories of her brother resonated with the audience listening Friday in the theater aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown. They paid attention and punctuated moving moments with applause as Richards and six other panelists shared their experiences during a symposium, "Hometown heroes: The struggles and accomplishments of black veterans."

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