Major Alan Johnson

Died of wounds January 27th 2007

A resident of Yakima, Wash., Johnson first entered the Army Oct. 31, 1980, as an Engineer in the North Dakota Army National Guard. He enlisted into the NDARNG for a five-year tour, earning his commission as a second lieutenant in 1986.

2LT Johnson moved to Yakima in April of 1987, where he was appointed in the Washington Army National Guard. He was assigned as Platoon Leader of Company A, 1st Battalion of the 303rd Armor Regiment. Johnson served the 1-303rd Armor in a variety of positions including Armor Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, commander of Company A, Company C, and Headquarters Company. In early 1999, then-CPT Johnson was reassigned to take command of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Battalion.

In January of 2000, CPT Johnson was tasked with standing up the recently formed Chemical unit and was reassigned as the Detachment Commander of the 420th Chemical Battalion headquartered at Yakima, Washington. In December of 2000, Johnson rejoined the 1-303rd Armor Regiment as the Battalion Logistics Officer(S4). Major Johnson and shortly after was assigned as the Logistics Officer of the 81st Separate Infantry Brigade (Mechanized). In December of 2003 Johnson transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve. In his civilian life, MAJ Johnson was employed by the Yakima Country Department of Corrections as a shift sergeant.

Major Alan Johnson, age 44, a former Washington Army National Guardsman deployed with the Army Reserve’s 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Iraq.  MAJ Johnson died on January 26th, after suffering mortal wounds from an improvised explosive device near Sof Duwig, Iraq.