Follow-up: Soldier, wife pick up the pieces after tragic crash
You may recall my Thanksgiving column about Army Spc. John Austin Johnson, the injured Iraq war veteran who lost his three children in a November horrible car accident on their way to visit him in recuperation at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The El Paso Times has a follow-up:
A former Fort Bliss soldier and his wife on Thursday opened the bright red door to a new home and what they hope will be a fresh start after a tragic car accident claimed the lives of their three children.
“It’s just more than I could have ever imagined,” Lisa Johnson said, smiling, as she and her husband, Army Spc. John Austin Johnson, toured the couple’s first home. With the help of Operation Homefront, the PGA Tour and KB Homes, the Johnsons purchased the 2,400-square-foot home and moved from Fort Bliss to a small San Antonio suburb.
“For them, this is really more than they’ve ever had in their lives,” said Amy Palmer, a co-founder of Operation Homefront, which helps wounded warriors returning from battle…Injuries from Austin Johnson’s two tours and the five explosions left the family in debt and led to bankruptcy, she said.
Operation Homefront raised $140,000 to help the Johnsons pay off their debt, complete their bankruptcy proceedings, buy a car, finance their home and move them from El Paso to San Antonio. The PGA tour raised $78,000, while KB Homes furnished the home.
Contributions paid for about half the cost of the $154,000 home. With the organization’s help, the couple secured an affordable $600 monthly mortgage payment for the remainder, Palmer said.
The Johnsons have more help, too, from generous donors in the El Paso area who contributed to an account that FirstLight Federal Credit Union established for the family.
The account closed Thursday with more than $86,000 in donations that came in over about two months, said Charles Morris, the credit union’s vice president of marketing.“It could never fill the void or make up for the emotional damages and the trauma this couple has gone through, but it certainly will help,” Morris said.
Along with the financial generosity from El Pasoans, the Johnsons’ new home will have a long-lived reminder of their two years at Fort Bliss. Travis Elementary School, which Ashley and Tyler attended, dedicated an evergreen tree to the children and sent it to the Johnsons.
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May God bless this family and those who have provided for them
Michelle, thanks for the refreshing mouthwash, which helps us wash the foul taste of most of the other news out of our mouths.
This, of course, is the kind of news the MSM has deemed “not fit to print”
Oh really?
Housing Glut Could Help Wounded Warrior
This story is a real tearjerker. God bless operation home front, and all the people who chipped in to help.
And exactly how much government “help” seems to be involved in this project? It looks to me like zero. Good people doing good works without hindrance.
God Bless America!
My prayer for this couple is that they will always remember their children with fondness and love — and that the Lord will bless them with more children, not to replace, but to add to their joy.
Once again the private sector and the generosity of the American people make it happen.
As has been said, “Never, ever, stop doing good.”
This is what America means to me. That a bunch of concerned people can get together to help out a family that has been handed a rough time is just amazing. No government money other than that earned by the soldier. Just the honest love of others. This is what makes us great. This is what strengthens our country. I wouldn’t trade this US of A for anything.
This story reminds me there are still good people doing wonderful things in this world (something that many of us really need to be reminded of in these uncertain times). News like this should be splashed all over the headlines and reported 24/7 instead of the constant tabloid news streaming about Britney’s latest excess, etc. Our best hopes and wishes to this shattered family may God ease their suffering and help them rebuild their lives in their new home.
Michelle – Thanks for the story. As I said in another post, rarely does anyone pick up the “someone did good” stories.
Mookie-when I see this covered on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX, I will consider it being seen in the MSM.
An Associated
Presswith Terrorists article on Yahoo doesn’t count in my books.When I was a kid this was the way things were done, usually through a church…
Yeah, because the Associated Press isn’t part of the MSM. Please.
Megga ditto’s to the n’th degree. I love a Friday feel-good piece!
God bless these folks and the kind people who prayed for them and helped.
A sad story that should’ve had an even brighter ending.
Michelle,
Any update on SrA Jonathan Schrieken from McGuire AFB, NJ that was shot by the PROTESTOR last summer?
Such a tragedy and such hope all in one story….thanks for sharing the update Michelle.
Mookie…the AP is the MSM…that and Al Reuters is where the feed to the beast starts than we see it on CBS and all the other initials.
The fact that none of the initials chose to run with this story is telling in and of itself.
I completely agree. TN Dave, however, seems to think that the AP doesn’t count.
OKAY – ENOUGH!
First we have Rusty going after AJ for not looking at the spirit of what he said. Now we have Mookie do same.
As a whole, the MSM is not covering this story and it is too bad as this is an awesome story.
Now, let’s all thank Michelle for the follow-up. Let’s offer up a hardy; GOD Bless these folks” (or whatever you feel like telling them).
Stop trying to take this feel good thread and pis_ off everybody!
Read what I wrote. Is this being run in the NTY, WaPo, or other big newspapers? Right now it’s on Yahoo. I hardly call Yahoo the MSM. Not all people have the internet. Al Gore hasn’t been that sucessfull yet!
Thank you very much.
Dave has left the building!
I’ve already said it was a good story.
Nuff said on my part.
I am so glad to hear that they have had wonderful people help them rebuild their lives. The hole that will forever be in their hearts – the children they will never get to share it with – is what breaks mine.
The Associated Press didn’t write the article for Yahoo. That’s just the link I used. That AP article has now been picked up by 125 different news outlets including the Washington Post and NY Times. That’s how the process works.
Taking care of each other is what we are supposed to do.
I looked at the spirit of what he said and he’s wrong. The MSM IS covering this story. Do a Google news search or a Lexis/Nexis search. The MSM screws up enough on their own without having to demonize them. And I wasn’t the one who brought up the MSM coverage in the first place.
Washington Post
New York Times
Chicago Tribune
ABC News
MSNBC
I am sure I could find more (it was really easy fyi), Tennessee Dave, but is that enough for now to get you to shut up and stop trying to fit this story into your agenda and just let the story be what it is: one of great tragedy and great humanity?
…and you certainly are not going to drop it! GEEEZZZZ
Mookie, he may have been wrong that the MSM wasn’t covering the story. Why did you feel it that important to stick to that point on this thread?
Soap is right, this isn’t the place to go after each other on technicalities. This is a touching story. Let that be enough.
re: #12 Mookie said:
Mookie, for your general information and education, the Associated Press isn’t the Mainstream Media. It is merely a news service just like the United Press International and Reuters. The Mainstream Media are local stations and cable and network stations that have regularly scheduled broadcasts of news stories found on the news service wires.
LeePro
[newspaper brat since the days of teletype machines]
re: #22 Mookie said:
Wrong again, Mookie. The Associated Press DID write the story, and, as a wire service, submitted it for use by newspapers, tv, and other MAINSTREAM MEDIA OUTLETS. The AP has no responsibility whatsoever as to whether it is printed or broadcast. That is up to the Mainstream Media to pick up the story and print/broadcast it!
Once again, people spring into action to help one another. I’m glad that, out of this terrible tragedy, some good news is seen. My prayers continue for them. But, to the news broadcasters, this isn’t news. Spears “killing” herself and Lohan sipping champagne…now that’s news! Sigh.
And they obviously did.
That’s my last post on it. Don’t want to stress 30 Pieces.
I heard this story yesterday on WOAI (a San Antonio AM talk radio station). This is how it should be done – ordinary Americans seeing a “neighbor” in need and lending a hand to help. Don’t just sit around expecting the government to do everything – it is incapable of taking care of everything.
Correction, Miss Ladybug. The government is incapable of taking care of anything.
My prayers are still with the family, and I hope they are able to move past the grief, hold on to the memories, and find joy again.
englishqueen01~
I beg to differ. Our military (part of the government) has done an excellent job with the mission is has been asked to do. Political interference and “enemy within” and all…
Another sad story. Andrew Olsted says farewell.
R.I.P. Major Olmsted.
Please forgive the typographical error in the first of the two links above. His name was Andrew Olmsted.
I think it’s wonderful that ordinary people in the private sector came together to help this family the way they did.
But I have to say, with all the hoopla for the government to bail out people with housing and financial woes, where was the big push for the gov’t to help this couple? If there was one from politicians who supported the bail-out, I never heard about it. This is actually one of those cases where I think the government is remiss for not stepping in (even though the family is probably better off for it).
This family suffered their tragic circumstances as a result of the husband’s military service. Shame on the politicians who are more vocal about helping illegal immigrants or folks who just can’t manage their finances than the men and women who fight for our country.
This family has been at the top of the list for help from many military assistance groups in and around San Antonio for months. Thanks for letting us know that they’ve been helped. I have a family who have just recently purchased a home in Schertz, a suberb of SA. He is an amputee, and their new home needs some accessibility rehab. I will contact this group to see that this family gets the help they need. God bless you, Michelle, for keeping these stories at the top of our consciousness.
It did my heart good to read this story. May God bless them and keep them.
Yes Chapiteer, Most of these type of stories never get printed except on the third column on section B or C. My family only listens to MSM and they marvel of the news stories that they miss and when the MSM does tell the story its usually days or months behind.
I’m not picking on anyone but the lack of interest is not any medias fault. That lies with us. We tend to get what we ask for.
http://www.nbc24.com/News/news_story.aspx?id=78604
This is a young man I am proud to call a friend. Shane served with my daughter when she was still at FT Hood. Sadly there are hundreds like Shane, whose stories are overlooked by most.
This business of saying we cover this story better than they do, we care more than they do, we are better Americans than they are is not only decisive, its just bunk. Just ask Shane. He may tell you he wasn’t only fighting for those on the right but those on the left as well. I do know that those who have helped have come from all sides of the political spectrum.
If it makes you feel better to blame the press, blame liberals, blame Soros, I feel sorry for you. I don’t think compassion is a trait only held by conservatives.
Shane was at Walter Reed when that story was broken by the….the… Oh the MSM……On the front page.
Ok nice story but I’m confused… the military is supposed to be paying the medical costs for him so how did this lead to bankruptcy and huge debt on the family?
I could understand it better if it were associated with the deaths of the children , but then I’d have questions about the car insurance (required for military folks who own cars) and why Tricare didn’t pick up costs… any info on this please
Ret7army~
I have no information on this family’s bankruptcy, but I make these assumptions:
*Unit based out of Ft. Bliss where the wife & kids were living, wounded soldier at BAMC in San Antonio. From personal experience, I know that is a very long drive. When Daddy was stationed at Bliss and we would visit his mom in San Antonio, it was something like a 12-14 hour drive. Gas isn’t cheap, and neither is airfare.
*If the wife had a job in El Paso, she couldn’t both work and be at her husband’s side.
*Even soldiers and their families have bills to pay, even if they live in base housing.
*Soldiers doesn’t get paid a lot of money to begin with. The additional expenses related family members traveling to be with a wounded servicemember would not likely be easily fit into an enlisted soldier’s budget, Tricare & car insurance or not…
The military will pay for care, but trust me (as the wife of a husband who was wounded during training) the military does not always cover all of the care. Some soldiers wind up paying out of pocket for things like physical therapy and other types of care. They can take what the military offers, but if they want care above and beyond that they pay out of pocket if they can’t get the military doctors to agree. We have to pay for physical therapy because not a minute was offered to my husband… and soldiers are not allowed to just go out of the system without approval.
Also, deployments are very expensive! My son bought well over $1000 of additional needed supplies that he had to have before deployment. He is being paid a little more now, but the cost of phone calls, care packages, etc. adds up over the period of 15 months. I can’t imagine how he could manage if he had a wife and family… he’s a Specialist too. The benefits are nice, but military families often live on he edge, and an accident of this magnitude (speaking of the father) can push them over the edge.
I am very happy that the family is being cared for financially. These two parents need time to grieve, and this will take some of the stress off of them so that they can focus on their home, marriage, grief and figuring out how to live each day with the realization that their babies are gone. I am glad that they are seeing that people truly do care.
I remember that tragic story. The pain he and his wife are going through is unimaginable, but Operation Homefront does a hell of a job easing the financial burden of families like the Johnson’s. I wish SPC Johnson a speedy recovery and I hope his future brings a lot of love and healing. Kudos to the Ft. Bliss Army community for the great contributions to a Soldier in need.
HOOAH!