Wednesday Hero: Sgt. Crystal C. Johnson

Today's Wednesday Hero is a young lady whose life was changed forever on that September 12, 2006, night in Iraq. Her convoy of 17, she was driving in the lead, was somewhere in the quiet of an Iraqi night. Suddenly they were under ambush in all directions, and her truck took the brunt of an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) – the most dangerous kind of improvised explosive device.

After realizing her Commanding Officer, Lt. Emily Perez, was killed in the blast, she realized it was up to her to take charge. She quickly turned to the gunner who had first pulled her from the truck, Specialist Truesdell, to rescue their translator from inside the Humvee. Shortly after they rescued him through the flames, the ammunition caught fire and started firing in every which direction.

She started applying life-saving first aid on this man, and when back-up came, she continued her work. When the back-up did arrive, then Corporal Johnson refused medical attention until everyone else attended to, and she also helped in this area. She had received shrapnel and burns from the VFP.

While they were out there alone, Specialist Truesdell stood fighting the terrorists that were still threatening them. They had only one gun, and as you know, the other ammo had already gone off in the fire.

This was a turning point for then-Colornal Johnson. She discovered something deep within her. She had found her calling. She extended her deployment to become to a full fledged Army Medic! For her actions that day, she earned a Purple Heart and the Army's Commendation Medal with "V".

I thank God everyday for special people such as Sgt. Crystal C. Johnson. What an Honor it is to have people like her in our midst.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives
so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday.
For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Here is some more information:

Hometown: Glendale, CA
Awarded: Army Commendation Medal
External Links: Sgt. Crystal Johnson – Remembers Lt. Emily Perez.
Download this hero's story: Right click and "Save Target As..." to download.

You may also hear her interview on The Martha Zoller Show.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites:

The Amboy Times: Barak Obama Sr: "Problems Facing Our Socialism".
third world county: A Primer on Global Warming.
Dumb Ox Daily News: She's Not Go-o-o-one Yet!
Adam's Blog: Karate Kid Quote For Wednesday.
Right Voices: Is It The Democratic Delegates Or The Battleground States That Win General Elections.
Thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Tel-Chai Nation: Obama's payroll includes Nation of Islam members.

. Digg!
Posts that have trackbacked to this post:

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