Army Pvt. Rosamond Johnson Jr. was only 17 years old when he saved two other soldiers July 26, 1950 during the Korean War.

While attempting to save a third soldier, Johnson was killed. he was the first black and the first resident of Escambia County to be killed in the Korean War.

On Saturday, he was honored for his heroics at the Perdido Key beach named after him, Johnson Beach. His mother, Alice Johnson, 98, of Pensacola and some of his seven siblings attended and spoke during the ceremony. Five generations of the Johnson family attended.

“It’s great,” Alice Johnson said about the ceremony. “I’m so proud of him.”

Johnson enlisted in the Army at 15 years old to help support his family, according to Alice Johnson. She said at first she was reluctant to let her son join the Army, but in the ended helped to conceal his age so he could join.

He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart in 1950, and a monument was erected on the beach in his honor in 1996.

“The story of Rosamond Johnson is compelling,” said Gulf Islands National Seashore park superintendent. R.W. Jenkins during Saturday’s ceremony. “We will continue to tell his story.”

When Johnson died, most Pensacola beaches were not open to blacks. Johnson Beach, which it was so named in 1950, was one of the few that did allow blacks…

Johnson’s half brother, Raymond Reese, 70, of Pensacola remembered Johnson during the sixth annual ceremony Saturday.

“It’s good to keep coming back for this year after year because it’s good to see him recognized after all these years,” Reese said.

Escambia County Commissioners Doug Underhill and Lumon May were among the 30 people who attended Saturday’s event, which included the Navy color guard presenting the American and Florida flags.

While speaking at the ceremony, Underhill, who represents Perdido Key, told the audience he preferred to speak as a Naval officer rather than a politician during the occasion.

“Mrs. Johnson, we will never be able to pay back the debt (that is owed to the Johnson family for his sacrifice),” Underhill said.

Saturday’s event was hosted by Perdido Key Area Chamber of Commerce, Pen Air Federal Credit Union, Gulf Island National Seashore, and Florida Black Chamber of Commerce.

Mark Abramson can be reached at (850) 435-8680. Follow him on Twitter at Mark_PNJ.