Christopher B. Johnson
Profile
Age: 29
From: Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii
Incident: Army Capt. Christopher B. Johnson was killed Oct. 16 when his OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter apparently collided with another OH-58D helicopter and crashed in Baghdad. Also
Died: October 16, 2004
Iraq rescue mission claims life of local hero
By Jim Boulden
The Excelsior Springs (Mo.) Standard
Army Captain Christopher Johnson lost his life last Saturday evening while spearheading a scout helicopter rescue mission of a community of Christian Iraqi citizens fleeing from an attack by terrorists in southwestern Baghdad. And according to his parents, Ronald and Margaret Johnson of Excelsior Springs, he died for a cause he deeply believed in and began preparing for while in his early childhood years.
“From the age of about six or seven, Christopher knew he wanted to be an Army pilot and serve in the United States military,” said Ronald Johnson, himself a retired Army major.
“He spent his entire life focused on his personal and professional goal of protecting and defending his fellow man through his service in the armed forces,” Ronald said of his son’s commitment to his mission.
“He was fully aware of the...