Sam Johnson Defender of Freedom Award

LTGEN Mark Wise, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) provides a unique perspective of the world gained during his Marine Corps Career and during his last billet which was the Commander of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command which has the mission of supporting the development of future operational concepts and the determination of how to best organize, train, educate and equip the Marine Corps of the future.

Sam Johnson Defender of Freedom Award

This prestigious recognition is awarded annually to a business leader who has demonstrated a lifetime of dedication and service following the example of Congressman (Col. USAF) Sam Johnson who served his country for nearly 60 years as a military officer and US Congressman, including 7 years as a prisoner of war in Viet Nam. The awardee will have exhibited long standing, consistent, highly valuable support and service particularly to causes and organizations who stand for the American values of patriotism, leadership, and selfless service.

The award winner exemplifies personal sacrifice, initiative, and courage applied to enable the defense of our nation, to directly support those who “stand in the gap” for our collective security and peace.

The individual recognized and set apart for this award has a keen understanding that freedom is not free. He or she may not be a veteran of our armed services but has continuously taken that one step forward to ensure that the freedoms we enjoy continue to endure.

2026 Recipient: John Albers
2025 Recipient: Joe DePinto
2024 Recipient: Mr. Darcy Anderson
2021 Recipient: Mr. Scott C. Murray

In the News…

theMagazine interviewed one of our Sam Johnson Defender of Freedom awardees as well as several board members to learn more about the value that NDBS brings to the DFW community. The link to the article which appeared in its May-June 2026 issue on pages 22 and 23 is https://themagazinedfw.com/magazines/may-june-2026/ .