Leroy Johnson

Leroy Johnson was born on December 6, 1919, at Caney Creek in neighboring Allen Parish, and enlisted at Oakdale on November 26, 1941. On December 15, 1944, near Limon on Leyte in the Philippines, the sergeant of the 126th Infantry smothered the blast of two enemy grenades with his body to save the men around him. He was 25. The medal was awarded after his death, on October 2, 1945. Camp Leroy Johnson in New Orleans took his name in 1947, and a bronze plaque hangs at the Allen Parish courthouse in Oberlin.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu — 1.1 mi
  A 6,000-square-foot museum of southwest Louisiana Carnival with about 275 costume mannequins and 14 animated figures, opened in April 2026.
• Imperial Calcasieu Museum — 1.4 mi
  Lake Charles's history museum, founded by the Junior League in 1963, with parish artifacts, Claire Chennault's uniform and the Sallier Oak.
• Sam Houston Jones State Park — 5.0 mi
  A 1,087-acre park on the West Fork of the Calcasieu with longleaf pine, cypress-tupelo swamp, five trails, cabins and kayak rentals.
• Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point — 9.4 mi
  A free visitor center at the western gateway of Louisiana's only All-American Road, with exhibits on alligators, migrating songbirds and the estuary.

More markers nearby

• Homer L. Wise — steps away
• John R. Kane — steps away
• Hulon Brooks Whittington — steps away
• Howard Gilmore — steps away