Johnny Gordy was born on August 24, 1945, in Tennessee. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on August 28, 1962, and completed basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, in November 1962. Gordy next attended Radio Relay & Carrier Operator training at Fort Gordon from November 1962 to January 1963, followed by service as a Radio Relay & Carrier Operator with Company A, 123d Signal Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division at Wurzburg, West Germany, from January to September 1963. PFC Gordy served as a Senior Radio Relay Operator with Headquarters Company of the 123d Signal Battalion from September to May 1964, and then with Company C of the 123d from June 1964 to March 1966. His next assignment was as a Radio Relay & Carrier Operator with Headquarters Battery of the 6th Air Defense Artillery Group at Fort Bliss, Texas, from May to November 1966, followed by service as a Radio Relay & Carrier Operator with Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Bliss from November 1966 until he left active duty on November 20, 1967. PFC Gordy was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve on July 31, 1968. Johnny Gordy died on February 16, 1995, and was buried at the Biloxi National Cemetery in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Soldier's Creed:

I am an American Soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.