Menahga Soldier Took Recent Leave from Iraq


U.S. Army Specialist John Johnson paid a visit with Jean Weyer’s second grade class in Menahga, while home on leave from Iraq.

BY ROY RUDDERFORTH

     Although he is now back in harm’s way in Iraq, U.S. Army Specialist John Johnson has no regrets about his chosen path in life.
     A 2005 Menahga High School graduate, Johnson became interested in a military career at age 12. He is now part of an elite three-man unit that operates in various areas of interest in the war-torn country. After he completes his current tour in Iraq, Johnson said he would like to take another crack at qualifying as an Army Ranger. If successful, he would likely be back overseas, possibly in Afghanistan.
     Johnson came home on leave in late May, and took the time to stop in and visit with Jean Weyer’s second grade class, who had included him on the class Christmas card list. While there he told the youngsters a little about army life in Iraq.
He said the weather had started to warm up as he prepared to ship home with temperatures in the 90 degree range. While that sounds like hot here in Minnesota, it qualifies as temperate in Iraq, where temperatures will reach 130 degrees later in the season.
     Baghdad is where Johnson had been spending much of his time, living with his comrades in the Sadr City area. Johnson said the soldiers experience the same living conditions as the natives including gas-generated electricity and no running water. On the other hand, he said he and his buddies preferred Iraqi food to the army-issue meals ready to eat (MRE).
     As might be expected, some of the second grade boys were interested in military hardware. When asked what kind of rifle he carried, Johnson said he had several available, depending upon the mission. Yes, they did have hand grenades, and no, they didn’t fight tanks. He explained that the military action in Iraq was not a typical battlefield situation with much of the action taking place in city neighborhoods. He also noted that there were fewer “bad guys” to deal with these days. The one major faction still causing most of the problems is the J.A.M., an acronym for the Jaysh al Mahdi, otherwise known as the “Mahdi Army.”
     Later, away from the children, Johnson was a little more pointed in his assessment of military success in Iraq.
     “We’re cleaning house,” he said.