Scott Selmer Johnson

Notes:

Virgil was mobilized with the Nebraska National Guard in October of 1940. He served in the Army 134th Infantry. He transferred to the Army Air Corps where he served as a Night Fighter pilot in the European Theater during 1944 - 1945. He flew British Beau fighters and Mosquitos.
Because he had been a fry cook at the Nebraska Student Union Grill, he was made a cook. He was a Staff Sgt. in charge of the kitchen when the 35th Division left Arkansas.
Soon after Pearl Harbor, Virg applied to the Army Air Corps pilot training program. He was accepted and trained at Santa Ana, King City, Taft, and graduated (got his wings) from Williams Air Force Base in Arizona in July 1943.
He was sent to the European Theater in June1944 where he trained in British air craft in North Africa. He was attached to the only American Night Fighter squadron flying British air craft in Italy and France. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters.
He returned to the United States after V E Day and was awaiting reassignment to the Pacific Theater until V-J Day.
He was honorably discharged in September 1945 as a First Lieutenant.
Virg graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy. He continued on to receive his Ph. D. in 1952. His professional life was spent as a wheat geneticist and breeder. He and his co-workers developed 28 varieties of wheat. These wheats dominated the Nebraska and U.S. wheat acreages for many years. He served as coordinator of research for U.S. D.A. for the Hard Red Winter Wheat region and had a co-appointment as professor at the University of Nebraska where he advised 25 doctoral students and 3 master's.
For 20 years he coordinated an International wheat research effort in about 37 countries.
He organized 5 International Wheat Conferences in Turkey, Yugoslavia, Spain, Brazil and Morocco. In June 2000 he was invited to be an opening speaker at the 6th International Wheat Conference in Budapest, Hungary.

Virgil married Betty Ann Tithammer. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Selmer married Hilda Nelson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]