Howard Ravenscroft Johnson was born on June 18, 1903, in Maryland. His father was a shipbuilder in that state. Graduating from Central High School in Washington, D.C., Johnson attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Before he was scheduled to graduate, Johnson went to Texas, where he tried to become a pilot in the Army Air Corps. The instructors sent him away because of poor "side vision." Johnson stayed in the Army, however, and was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and in China, before returning to his home state of Maryland, where he would be posted at Fort Meade. Before World War II broke out, Johnson, by then advancing in rank, was driving a jeep when it flipped over, severely injuring him. After he eventually recovered, his commanders offered him the chance to command the First Special Service Force, known as the "Black Devils." Colonel Johnson didn't think that it would ever be an effective fighting force. The Black Devils went on to fight in World War II, earning recognition for its nighttime raids behind the German lines at Anzio Beach. Soon, his superiors gave him the opportunity to command another combat unit. It was called the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. The colonel accepted.