3rd Special Forces group names building after Fort Bragg soldier killed in Niger
The mother of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah “JW” Johnson had one request five years after her son’s death.
During a ceremony at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, Debbie Gannon asked that soldiers keep Johnson’s name “out there.”
Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio, was a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialist who was killed during an Oct. 4, 2017, enemy attack while deployed to Niger, West Africa.
He was part of the 14th Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment that was assigned to Fort Bragg's 3rd Special Forces Group and directly supported Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3212.
Also killed were 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group soldiers Sgt. LaDavid Johnson, 25, a wheeled vehicle mechanic from Miami Gardens, Florida; Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, a medical sergeant assigned from Puyallup, Washington; and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, engineer sergeant, assigned to Alpha Company, from Lyons, Georgia.
On Thursday, the Group Support Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group dedicated a building in Jeremiah Johnson’s memory.
Inside Johnson Hall is a mural with his picture, biography, awards and an honorary green beret.
The dedication is the battalion’s commitment never to forget Sgt. 1st Class Johnson, said Lt. Col. Michael Ashton, the battalion’s commander.
“The Group Support Battalion has an unwavering commitment to remember Jeremiah,” Ashton said. “We’ll share his story with everyone who passes through Johnson Hall.”
More:Fort Bragg soldiers killed in 2017 Niger attack awarded honorary green berets
Quiet professional
Johnson was a small business owner who enjoyed writing, working on motorcycles, forging knives, smoking cigars and spending time outdoors with his family.
He joined the Army in 2007 and was first stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, with the 108th Chemical Company, 2nd Chemical Battalion, and was next assigned as a chemical operations noncommissioned officer with the 22nd Chemical Battalion, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
"Jeremiah was a quiet professional. He was committed to his craft ... and he wanted to make his soldiers, his peers and those around him better," Ashton said. "Jeremiah embodied the soldier’s creed."
In 2015, he deployed to Niger.
An executive findings report states that Oct. 3, 2017, the operational detachment team Johnson was attached to left with Nigerian forces on a counterterrorism operation to target a key member of the Islamic State near the village of Tiola.
Once in Tiola, the team was unable to locate its target and conducted a key leader engagement with partner forces before being ambushed.
During the attack, Sgt. 1st Class Johnson provided suppressive fire alongside a vehicle convoy with Staff Sgt. Black and repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire.
Wright and Johnson remained with Black after he was fatally wounded.
Enemy fighters forced Wright and Sgt. 1st Class Johnson to leave on foot, and Johnson was wounded about 85 meters away, the report states.
Wright returned to Johnson and continued to engage the enemy until he was shot and killed.
Sgt. LaDavid Johnson and two Nigerian soldiers who were unable to reach the vehicle were also killed during the ambush.
Sgt. 1st Class Johnson and Sgt. LaDavid Johnson were named honorary Green Berets last year.
Sgt. 1st Class Johnson’s father, J.W. Johnson Sr., said his son loved serving in the chemical corps, loved his job and was excited to serve alongside Operational Detachment Alpha 3212.
He thanked the Special Forces soldiers for respecting his son and recognized the soldiers his son served with.
“What’s been bestowed upon Jeremiah shows what type of man he was, but I think even more importantly, what type of people he worked with,” Johnson Sr. said.
Johnson said accepting loss does not become easier, but together, friends and family learn to go forward “remembering the happiness, the fun times, the smile,” of their lost loved one.
Jeremiah Johnson was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class and awarded the Bronze Star with a valor device, which was upgraded to a Silver Star on Tuesday.
Previous coverage:Bragg soldiers killed in Niger attack honored
The devotion of those who care, Johnson Sr. said, helps to remember the times spent with their loved one.
“When I see the name on this building, I see the first time my son cried when he was born, and I smile,” Johnson Sr. said.
He said his son’s loss has given him and his wife, JoAnn, friends who share in the sorrow.
“It kind of hits when you see that name out there — when you put something on a building or you engrave something on a piece of stone, it lasts forever,” he said.
Gannon, Johnson’s mother said, “there’s no better way to honor Jeremiah.”
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Special Forces Group names building after Bragg soldier killed in Niger
