When a hand grenade was thrown into his fighting hole, he immediately covered it with his body—absorbing the full impact of the blast—sacrificing his life to save a fellow Marine and preventing the enemy from penetrating his patrol perimeter.

When a hand grenade landed in the fighting hole he shared with fellow Marines, he yelled a warning and immediately hurled his body over the explosive charge.

His heroic actions on that day were recognized with a posthumous award of the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor.

On February 15, 2012, the Navy announced that a new Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer would be named USS Ralph Johnson in his honor.

[6] The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to for service as set forth in the following CITATION: