 Roy L. Johnson was born on March 18, 1906 in Eunice, Louisiana, to John Edward Johnson and the former Hetty Mae Long, as the eldest of 12 children.He completed high school and earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland on June 15, 1925.While at Annapolis he played varsity baseball and was on the staff of academy yearbook, the "Lucky Bag".