Paul J. Johnson
Staff Sergeant, United States Army
November 4, 1973 – October 20, 2003
Age – 29
Calumet, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
Killed while on mounted patrol by an improvised explosive device and small arms fire by enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq
Army Staff Sgt Johnson was assigned to 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Johnson was on a mounted patrol in Al Fallujah, Iraq when the vehicle he was riding in hit an improvised explosive device and later came under small arms fire by enemy forces. His squad had just finished delivering a load of school supplies when a homemade bomb ripped through his Humvee. He had burns on 80 percent of his body.
Paul, or “P.J.” as he was known, wanted to be G.I. Joe. At age 5, he announced that he was going to be a soldier. At age 8, he dug ditches in the yard for toy soldiers and put those little plastic men through basic. As a teenager, he gravitated to Vietnam veterans, soaking up their stories and their combat aura.
On his 16th birthday, the first day he was old enough to do it legally, he jumped out of a plane. He became an active participant and student leader in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. during his high school years.
He graduated from Calumet High School in 1991 and enlisted in the Army in 1993. In the Army, PJ participated in missions in Haiti and Bosnia, in relief efforts after Hurricanes Andrew and Fran, in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2002 and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He had once fought a battle in Afghanistan in a flak jacket and boxer shorts.
During his military service, he received both a combat infantry badge and a bronze star for heroism in the line of fire. He was also a senior-rated jump master. Those close to him recall Paul as the epitome of what an 82nd paratrooper is meant to be – trained to deploy rapidly by air, sea and land anywhere in the world and prepared to fight upon arrival. He is described as a patriotic man who loved his family and his country.
In his spare time, PJ, a devout Detroit Red Wings fan, loved to play hockey. He could also be found working in his yard, using his construction skills to build things.
He earned more than 30 awards and decorations, including two Bronze Stars, two NATO medals, three humanitarian service medals, two National Defense Service medals, three good conduct medals, French and Russian parachutist badges and a Purple Heart. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor and the Purple Heart. Paul was a family man and could often be seen playing with his son.
He was remembered as follows by a fellow soldier:
“I was driving home last night after playing a game of hockey and that song “don’t know what you got til its gone” by Twisted Sister came on the radio. That song always makes me think of “SGT” Jonson as I knew him at the time because we were at JRTC weighting on Tower AIR to fix the plane so we could go back to Bragg. We were hanging out on the rocks and that song came on and I saw a tear in his eye. He was a newlywed and said something about missing his wife, after we messed with him a bit, of course. As a young E2 I remember how cool it was to see the soft side of an AIRBORNE RANGER. He was a good leader and an even better man! Why must we lose the good ones. I was there in 2003 as well and wonder sometimes, why I made it and so many didn’t. I wish Paul would have.”
SSG William Wadley of Little Rock, Ar
Another remembrance:
“I couldn’t sleep tonight and had no idea why, until I saw today’s date. I proudly served in Afghanistan and Iraq with SSG J in 2nd platoon Aco 1-505 PIR. I was also privileged enough to go on two trips to Washington D.C. with him and don’t have one bad memory of him.
He was truly a great man that left a great example to follow in, in everything he did. The best thing SSG J gave me was a perfect example of how to be positive and not let thing out of your control bring you down. I have a tendency to focus on the negative things in situations and in life. But when I think of SSG J I remember no matter the situation he put a smile on his face, pushed on and gave it his best effort while uplifting everyone around him. For that and so much more I am truly grateful to him. There was no doubt that he loved his family very deeply.
To his family you are in my prayers and thoughts
To his son your Dad was great man and was truly proud of you. I remember him bringing you by the barracks with the biggest sense of pride and joy. He talked about you all the time, always with great joy.”
SGT Sam Rauch of Broomfield CO by way of Butte MT