Fred Johnson - Army Strong Stories

Coming Back

Fred Johnson — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:13:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
When I first deployed in July of last year I told the story of the Vietnam vet who approached me at the Louisville airport and inquired, “Just getting back?” At the time, I shook his hand and I simply replied “Going.” Well, I hope to see the old warrior soon because this time I am coming back – for good. My current command, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan and my gaining unit, the United States Army Recruiting...read more

The Friend of a Brave Man

Fred Johnson — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:40:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
We stand out like American tourists in Afghanistan. Our convoy of two up-armored SUVs skulks through the Kabul traffic cautiously like a tortoise crossing a highway. Our driver, a young Airman, cranes his neck as he maneuvers around Massoud Circle. He slows and swerves to avoid a woman in a blue Burkha crossing the street. She doesn’t acknowledge the near accident and floats by us like a phantom. Our Suburban’s array of antennas and Soldiers in full kit, sitting two...read more

One Deliberate Decision (The Ranger Curse)

Fred Johnson — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 10:03:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
One would think it would be impossible to put on weight during a deployment, but it’s pretty darn easy. Consider a Meal Ready to Eat, or MRE, contains 1200 calories per package. If you eat the entire contents, three times a day, you consume the equivalent of one pound. On Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan, we have cafeterias that are open 24 hours a day and, in most cases, they have incredibly tasty selections. You can easily go through a year-long deployment and never eat a...read more

March Madness

Fred Johnson — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:16:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
It’s March Madness 2007 in Baghdad. We come off Caughman Range on Forward Operating Base Liberty near the Abu Gharib Palace and the neighborhood of Monsour in Baghdad, Iraq. With the firing stopped we can hear the noontime call for prayer from a nearby mosque. More than the 15 foot concrete wall that surrounds Liberty separate us from the people in Monsour, but for me the stirring rhythm of the call makes the...read more

Back Across the Rubicon

Fred Johnson — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:36:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I peeped at the race course through an opening I made in my sleeping bag while my car heater took its blissful effect. My eyes fluttered, like a window shutter, between closed and barely open. I came to my car at 4:50 p.m. to get warm. I called my good friend Gary Griffin, one of my running mentors who first put the idea of running for 24 hours into my head. I told him I was still in the race but was taking a break. I hoped I sounded convincing telling him that I would return to the course...read more

Who is this Man

Fred Johnson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:30:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Who is this man carrying our flag? He joined the service for the same reasons American Soldiers do. No one forced him. He volunteered to serve his country. Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years; he is tired of the fighting and wants there to be peace so he can raise a family. Most likely he can barely read. 70% of Afghans are illiterate. He might have gone to religious school or even a public school, but he probably only made it through the...read more

When Fish Fly

Fred Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:48:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
“It’s not bad. There are a couple grammatical errors I highlighted. You see Fred, ‘to’ in this instance should be ‘too,’ but overall it’s okay.” I took notes as General Karimi provided feedback on a speech I wrote for him recently. The irony, of course, is that English is his third language and he speaks and writes my native tongue better than me. Never failing, he concludes with, “Thank you very much. It’s...read more

A Safe Place

Fred Johnson — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:06:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
A Command Sergeant Major had the audacity to give me an on-the-spot correction for a uniform violation recently. It was the best thing that has happened to me in a long while. General Karimi and I were accompanying the commander of the warfighting Corps, Lieutenant General Scaparrotti, to Torkum Gate, a beautiful place of historical and strategic significance on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. We recently experienced an incident where our Soldiers received fire from...read more

Melon Takes the Color of a Melon

Fred Johnson — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:21:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
It’s a typical day at the office. LTC Khanullah Shuja, General Karimi’s senior aide, is explaining his military genius to everyone within earshot. In excruciating detail he recounts one of the hundreds of battles he fought during his six years of company command. I’ve heard the story about a dozen times and each successive account his exploits are more superhuman. However, the ending never changes - Shuja ultimately saves the day with a brilliant...read more

Strong Women

Fred Johnson — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:32:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
The best leader with whom I have served in my 27 year career in the Army is my wife. I’ve learned more about leadership from Laura than any General I know. And, I know some really good ones. We met when she was commanding her third company at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She led a complex organization that guarded a special population of military criminals that included death row inmates, She took those experiences into civilian life where she...read more

Where Morning is Night

Fred Johnson — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:20:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
People ask for my BlackBerry number all the time. They are amazed when I have to dig in my wallet and look at my business card. “Don’t you have it memorized yet?” they ask. Nope, I do not. I have to pull out my Dog Tags to remember my social security number. My wife, Laura, taught me every memorization technique known to man so I don’t forget her birthday. I do have special day committed to memory, but only after severe beatings. Madelyn, our daughter, stopped...read more

The List

Fred Johnson — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:47:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I allowed myself to get into a bit of a slump. The Cardinal’s victory in the World Series was a short-lived respite from the inevitable bout of melancholy that is naturally a part of the emotional ebb and flow of a deployment. The raid on my resiliency wasn’t a full blown frontal assault. Rather, it was a sneak attack at weak points in my soul’s defenses. To combat the ennui I reviewed notes I made in a black and...read more

The Visitor

Fred Johnson — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:48:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Last week General Karimi and I were driving back from a meeting. It was late afternoon and we were taking the long way back from the Afghan Logistics Command. We never take the same route to and from a location. Karimi’s son, Zia, is very meticulous in planning our movements. It was around 5 o’clock and we passed by an Army checkpoint. General Karimi ordered the driver to stop. We got out of the Armored Suburban and the Chief went into the guard...read more

The Center of the World

Fred Johnson — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:23:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Fall has come to Kabul. And, so has the world. I had to put my long sleeve shirt and gloves on today for my morning run. I walked out the door wearing my summer running gear and the Fall chill pushed me back in the barracks where I immediately changed. I’ve been waiting for this time of year since I arrived in August. The summers here bake the ground, dry it up and form a mist of fine dust that hangs in the air. The powdery particles mix with the pollution produced by the...read more

Holding Heytabullah’s Hand

Fred Johnson — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:11:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Afghanistan would be a germaphope’s idea of hell. On the average I shake the hands of about 50 people before I sit down with General Karimi for our 8 o’clock morning meeting. That’s no exaggeration. I will have placed my hand over my heart as a part of the traditional greeting about as many times. On really good days I will press cheeks with three or four people. My hope is that number will continue to grow because it represents the amount of good...read more

The Queen's Palace

Fred Johnson — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:00:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
My favorite high school teacher was Ms. Polly Peterson. She was also my father and mother’s favorite teacher. I asked my dad once if Ms. Peterson was pretty when she taught him and he replied that “Polly was old, even then, but I heard she was a looker in her day.” If I polled my high school class of 1980 and asked, “What is the first book you ever read from start to finish,” I would bet 90% of the graduates would answer Great Expectations...read more

Praise for Betty

Fred Johnson — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:54:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Every Colonel in the Army should go through CRC (CONUS Replacement Center) immediately following brigade command, I’d give my partners who commanded brigades in Afghanistan or Iraq a break and allow them a little time after their deployment to recover. But it shouldn't be very long - they need this broadening experience before they get too far along in their careers. For those fortunate to make General Officer, they definitely need it prior to pinning on their...read more

When Goats Fly

Fred Johnson — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:58:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I started taking Dari classes this past week. I figured it was about time to actually learn something about the language I’ve been trying to speak. The Chief’s office crew of Dawary, Shuja, Zia, along with my interpreter, Abdullah, have been very helpful teaching me conversational phrases. But, I incessantly mispronounce letters and words. I have difficulty with the “Kh” sound particularly. The best tip I received to get that letter right was...read more

Kareem's Magical Feast

Fred Johnson — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:30:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Deployment math is tricky. The most significant calculation, and arguably the only one that matters, are the number of days, weeks and months that make up a year-long tour of duty. When you first get to country you round up the number of months you’ve been there. Somewhere near the midway point, you start to round down. For example, I’ve been in Afghanistan 47 days. That’s almost seven weeks. So, when someone asks me how long I’ve been here,...read more

Echoes of the Past

Fred Johnson — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:43:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I dial the last few numbers and wait a few seconds. The automated voice on the other end of the phone says that I have 47 minutes remaining on my phone card. The phone rings three times and Laura picks up. Sometimes, Madelyn will answer the phone if her mom had more time when we last talked. Other occasions it just depends who has the most to say and with my two girls that is quite a competition. It really doesn’t matter to me who I talk to first as long as I get...read more

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

Fred Johnson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:50:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I hadn’t shot a pistol in over three years. The one in my hand on the range at Fort Benning, Georgia felt like a foreign object. I remembered how to operate it like one recollects how to ride a bike after years of not riding. But it felt strange and I was not comfortable. We had to qualify before deploying and fortunately they gave a practice round for those of us who needed to regain familiarity with the 9mm hand gun. My practice set was abysmal....read more

Mon DaNabashee

Fred Johnson — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:11:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
My brain hurts. It literally hurts. Not a headache. Rather, it feels as if my cranium is chained to a treadmill at max elevation and near top speed. This meeting has gone on for three and a half hours. My mind is exhausted. We’ve been in the Chief’s conference room all morning discussing the Afghanistan National Army personnel accountability process. The system itself is complex, but it is made more difficult because it’s being explained...read more

Where Fridays are Sundays

Fred Johnson — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:35:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I slept in this morning but was up before the alarm went off at 4:30 AM. I have made a commitment to always sleep in on the weekends. It’s Friday, “Juma,” the Islam holy day and the Ministry of Defense is closed so we only work half days. Today is my Sunday. The first hour of my day doesn’t change, weekend or not. I sleep in a room with 20 other guys so I am careful not to wake anyone up. I have a head lamp that is next to my rack and I...read more

Words Matter

Fred Johnson — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 21:04:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I walk out the gate of Camp Eggers and bid good morning to the guard. “Sub Ba-khair.” I say, employing one of the few phrases of Dari I’ve learned since arriving to Afghanistan nearly a week ago. He smiles at my frail attempt to speak his language and politely thanks me by replying, “Tashakur.” My battle buddy and I begin our trek through Kabul’s “Green Zone” to the Ministry of Defense where General John R. Allen, the Commander of the...read more

Going

Fred Johnson — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:46:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
My daughter Madelyn shook me out of a deep sleep, “Daddy, Daddy, wake up. Wake up Daddy!” I sat up immediately, still in a fog and said, “What’s wrong honey?” Excited, she spoke so fast her words were nearly impossible to understand, “He’s dead. He’s dead. Bin Laden is dead. They killed him.” I swung my feet to the side of the bed and stood up. She took my hand and dragged me to the television set that was playing in the living...read more

Bread

Fred Johnson — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:17:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Joe Fenty skipped over the trail’s rocks, roots, and ruts as I tippy-toed along trying my best not to fall on my face. Joe yelled, “Coming on your left, Fred.” He passed me as if I were one of the motionless trees next to the single-track path. He dodged a moss-covered boulder and then chop stepped his way up a steep incline, disappearing on a sharp turn. I didn’t see him again for almost three hours until I dragged myself, exhausted, across the...read more

Walking the Walk

Fred Johnson — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:34:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I think the first time I heard the phrase “If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk” was my sophomore year in college. We were playing Georgia Tech and they had a hot shot freshman guard named Mark Price. Price was a high school All American in Oklahoma and touted as one of the best guards in the country. I was unimpressed and said as much in our review of game tapes as we prepared to make the trip to Atlanta for...read more

Second Chances

Fred Johnson — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:48:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
In the Post Exchange the other day, I saw an old Non Commissioned Officer, now retired, from my first unit of assignment as an Infantry Second Lieutenant with 2-22 Infantry in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. We walked by one another, did a double take, and smiles came over our faces. We embraced briefly and he said, “Full bird! Are you kidding me? I can’t believe you’re still in the Army. I thought they’d kicked you out a long time ago.” I told him I...read more

Bars and Basketball

Fred Johnson — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:11:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I grew up in a small city in Southern Illinois where two truths were indisputable amongst our townsfolk. The first was that the only baseball team in Illinois was the St Louis Cardinals and the fact the Redbirds resided on the Missouri side of the Mississippi was irrelevant. The second was that while baseball is America’s pastime, basketball is Illinois religion and the greatest honor most kids growing up in our railroad town aspired for was to play on the Centralia High School...read more

Dance Naked

Fred Johnson — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:09:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
John Mellencamp had a song in the early 90s called "Dance Naked." Not a bad tune, but I was reminded of it a couple weeks ago during the Golden Knights support to OpenCamp in Addison, Texas. The purpose of OpenCamp is “to educate, foster a sense of community, and remove barriers for webmasters and web developers, bloggers, podcasters, and social media enthusiasts.” The Golden Knights came to OpenCamp to learn more about social media but also to give...read more

A Certain Skill

Fred Johnson — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:35:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
I have never had a bad job in the Army - for a reason. That is not to say I was not challenged and frankly I have often fell short of my own and my boss’ expectations. As a battalion S1, the personnel officer, in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), I really struggled. In my previous assignment in the 10th Mountain Division, I was a platoon leader for over 30 months and spent a very short time on the battalion staff as an assistant operations officer. I was...read more

Nothing to Fear

Fred Johnson — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:33:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
Last year, on the day prior taking command, I had the opportunity to do a tandem jump with the “Golden Knights,” one of the battalions within my brigade. SFC Kurt Eisenburger was the tandem master who would lead me through the adventure. I was motivated even though my paltry 37 static line jumps didn’t prepare me for what was to come next. While I was attached to a skilled professional with thousands of free-fall jumps, there’s something a bit unnatural...read more

A Source of Strength

Fred Johnson — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:58:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
When I was a Basic Combat Training battalion commander I had the honor of participating in dozens of graduation ceremonies. After the formal proceedings, it was my habit to go out on the parade grounds and visit with the parents and families of our newest Soldiers. One summer graduation morning, after the pass in review was complete and families mingled on the field, I saw a Soldier with his parents and I walked over to congratulate them. I...read more

Along the River

Fred Johnson — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:10:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
In 1803 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark met in Louisville, Kentucky to form the Corps of Discovery and begin planning their historic trip that would take them to the Pacific Ocean and back. This Memorial Day, in the spirit of Lewis and Clark, I decided to explore the Kentucky and Indiana shores of the Ohio River on a “discovery run” with no agenda other than letting the journey take me where I needed to be most. I do these adventure runs often and often I get...read more

Passing it On

Fred Johnson — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:59:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
When my daughter was about six or seven we were walking down a sidewalk and saw something shining in the sun. She ran over and saw that it was a penny. Remembering the rhyme she said, “Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck.” I walked over and saw that the penny was on “tails” and where I’m from you only receive the luck if the coin is on “heads.” I told her the ridiculous rule and then she did...read more

Coming Home

Fred Johnson — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:44:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
We began our final descent and started to break through the clouds. I leaned out of my seat, craning my head toward the window around a young man sleeping, slouched and snoring. He looked terribly uncomfortable but he was smiling and I knew why. I was careful not to wake him but I just had to see. The dense white began to fade like a large cotton ball coming a part in strands and chunks and I saw the first patch of green. Then, I was hit in the face with a big shamrock glove and knocked giddy...read more