It wasn’t until 1993 that he began flying regularly. Today, Johnson is the owner of Jolly Roger Banners, an aerial banner towing business that he started in Custer, S.D., nearly seven years ago.

The Defense Department may be cracking down on unusual banners within the ranks ... Washington sporting a Jolly Roger following a deployment to the 4th Fleet area of operations.

the Jolly Roger has been a fixture on Western warships since the start of World War I, when a British submarine hoisted the pirate banner following the sinking of a German battlecruiser.