“(For example) it would be, ‘get to 10 pull-ups ... get to 100 pull-ups,’ ” said Johnson, a Shawnee High School graduate. “It was there to remind him every morning and when he went to bed every night.”
According to the Department of Defense, Johnson, two other Marines and a Navy Corpsman died Sept. 8 while supporting combat operations in Kunar province, Afghanistan.
A McClatchy News reporter embedded with Johnson’s unit wrote that the unit came under heavy fire when it was approaching a village.
Helicopter support was delayed and the unit could not obtain artillery support, the report stated.
The attack also killed nine Afghan troops, police and an interpreter.
“It’s an empty feeling, it leaves us with a very hollow feeling,” said Michael Johnson’s grandfather, Edward Johnson of Springfield.
Brian Johnson said his son was so focused, he would assign himself two hours a day to do his homework.
“He wasn’t the kind of guy you needed to stay on.”
Michael Johnson loved the outdoors and chose to attend college in Oregon after falling in love with the scenery.
“It only took one visit and he was hooked on the Pacific Northwest,” said Brian Johnson.
The “joyful” young man was a “born leader” who wanted to be a Marine since he was a teenager, his grandfather said.
“All of his men respected him,” said Edward Johnson.
As a boy, Michael Johnson would visit Springfield and spend a few weeks with his grandparents, said Brian Johnson.
“In his last e-mail, he told us to tell the crew from Ohio that he loved them.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.
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