.. ..Stormy weather held off Saturday afternoon long enough for a tribute to be paid to Spc. Justin W. Johnson, who was killed in Iraq in April 2004 while serving his country.
A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. at Myrtle Hill Veterans Plaza for the Armuchee High School graduate.
Friends and family members gathered to remember the soldier and others who died serving their country.
“After 9/11, he was chomping at the bit to join the army,” said Justin’s mother Jan Johnson.
She encouraged people to remember those still serving in Iraq and other places. “Justin’s unit is back over there,” she said.
Justin’s father Joe Johnson said his son was born “200 years too late. He was like a young Grizzly Adams.”
He said his son loved the outdoors and helping people.
Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo, told the crowd of about 75, “We remember those who have given their lives so we can enjoy our freedom.”
She said
The memorial service was concluded by a five-gun salute by the Alpha Battery of the 108th Armor Battalion of the 48th Brigade. Ken Caruthers / RN-T |
she brought her granddaughters with her to the ceremony so they would learn the importance of honoring those who have given their lives for their country.
Gene Altman, Georgia State Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, said when a soldier joins the military, he or she makes a sacrifice, but so do the soldiers’ family and friends.
He added, “When a soldier dies serving his country, the sacrifices of the family continue.”
The Patriot Guard Riders honor fallen heroes in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida.
Keith Nimlo, who served in the military with Ju
Canyon Shearer of the Patriot Guard Riders salutes during the memorial service Saturday at Myrtle Hill Cemetery. Ken Caruthers / RN-T |
stin Johnson, said, “Justin would bend over backward for you. He was always on the phone talking to his mom, too.”
Levi Lohnes, who also served with Johnson, said he and Nimlo were there “to pay respects to Justin’s family.”
He added, “Justin was such a great guy.”
Former Lindale resident Leah Hopkins Henry, who now lives in Atlanta, presented the family with a portrait she painted of Justin Johnson.
The portrait was part of the “Art from the Heart” project of the Atlanta Fine Arts League, an organization she co-founded.
After the ceremony, the Alpha Battery of the 108th Armor Battalion of the 48th Brigade presented a five-gun salute.
Joe Johnson thanked the group for honoring his son and other fallen heroes.
“We appreciate the community so much,” he added.
Click here to read a previous story about Joe Johnson serving overseas after the death of his son Justin Johnson.
