Trevor Jerimiah Johnson
USMC SGT
From: Forsyth, Rosebud County
Date of Death: 1/27/2009
Conflict: Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan
Sergeant Trevor J. Johnson, aged 23, of Forsyth, Montana. The Marines were assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. (Trevor was leading a foot patrol charged with clearing a route of explosives when he was struck by the blast from an improvised explosive device.) Sergeant Trevor J. Johnson, aged 23, of Colstrip, Montana, grew up on the family ranch in southeastern Montana, the fifth generation son of his family to do so. At an early age, Trevor decided he would follow in the footsteps of both his grandfathers and serve in the military. In junior high school, his parents attempted to persuade him to follow an educational route and they took him on tours of different universities. Trevor was smart and a gifted learner, participating in advanced placement classes of trigonometry, physics, and calculus. On September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks, Trevor said “I can defend those who can’t defend themselves.” He signed up with the Marine Corps during his senior year in high school in 2003 in order to give something back to his nation and to make a difference in other people’s lives. He served in Japan with missions throughout southeast Asia, before requesting a transfer to the 2/3 going to Afghanistan. He served his first tour of duty in Afghanistan from June 2005 to January 2006, his second tour of duty was in Iraq from October 2006 to May 2007. Trevor was promoted to Sergeant at the age of 20, and his good looks earned him the nickname “Hollywood” by his fellow soldiers. He was even called up on stage with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders during a USO tour. He came home from that tour and made some changes in his life, he re-enlisted and met Nikki, whom he married on October 29, 2007. Trevor was a great father, and before he left for his last tour of duty, he set up a new playset for his children in their backyard. In November of 2008, he left for Afghanistan with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the MEB Anti-terror Unit, which he requested. He was killed by hostile fire while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. His military awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon with a gold star in lieu of a second award, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with three bronze stars in lieu of a fourth award, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. Trevor would have been home by fall of 2009, he had planned on enrolling at the Georgia Institute of Technology to earn an engineering degree, then return to the military.
