My Family History: the Vautrots and Johnsons

My surname, "Vautrot," dates back as far as the First Crusade, which was launched in 1095 A.D. The Vautrot's were from Alsace-Lorraine, a region between France and Germany, and they joined Pope Urban II's crusade to recaptrue the Holy Land from the Muslims; and they were succesful. We also know that the Vautrot's came to America at the time of her birth: they fought in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783 A.D) under General George Washington. Lastly, all four of my great, great-grandfathers fought in the American Civil War (1861-1865 A.D.); two for the Confederate Army and two for the Union Army.

My mother's maiden name is Johnson; my grandfather, Joe Johnson (4/23/1889 - 03/09.1968), for example, prospered in the Piney Woods as a planter, a cattleman, and the biggest sheep rancher in Allen and Evangeline parishes. From dawn to dusk, he and a crew of fifteen to forty men rode the woods herding, branding and cutting calves, dipping and shearing sheep and searching for rustlers. He was admired for his horsemanship, unflinching courage and respected for his ethic of hard work and honesty. Terse, he spoke to the point; tough, he endured hard times with honor; stoic, he suffered sorrows without complaint. At the time when and at the place where he lived, folks knew the difference between a man's value and his worth. Joe Johnson was a man of worth.
His cousin, Leroy Johnson, is notable for being one of the few men to have received the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery in battle! This award, the Medal of Honor, is truly a monumental achievement: it has been awarded to very few soldiers--a little over 3,000 soldiers have received it since it was created 300 years ago during The American Revolutionary War. WW II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Leroy Johnson was born in Caney Creek, Louisiana. He served as a Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 126th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division. On December 15, 1944 near Limon, Leyte, Philippine Islands Sergeant Johnson as squad leader was sent to patrol a ridge held by a well-entrenched Japanese force. Seeing an enemy machinegun, which covered the approaches to several other enemy positions, he chose three other men, armed them with hand grenades, and led them to a point near the objective. The men had knocked out the gun and begun an assault when hostile troops on the flank hurled several grenades. As he started for cover, Sgt. Johnson saw two unexploded grenades that had fallen near he and his men. He deliberately threw himself on the grenades and received their full charge in his body. Fatally wounded by the blast, he died soon afterward. Sgt. Leroy Johnson received his Medal of Honor posthumously, and it was accredited to the state of Louisiana. In 1947 the New Orleans Army Air Base was renamed Camp Leroy Johnson in his honor.