A memorial will take place this Saturday in Colstrip for a Montana Marine who died in Afghanistan last week.
Sergeant Trevor Johnson was killed by a roadside bomb last Tuesday in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and his family arrived in Billings late Wednesday night.
This is the first trip to Montana for his wife Nikki, son Landan, 3, and eight-month old daughter Aspyn. Johnson grew up on a ranch south of Forsyth and graduated from Colstrip High School in 2003.
The memorial ceremony will include a procession from the Colstrip baseball field and will eventually lead to the Johnson ranch.
Johnson's 1972 Chevy pickup, with his close friend Hugh driving, will lead the way and the procession will go to Highway 39, to Cow Creek Road, and then to Rosebud Creek Road.
A group of horseback riders led by his sister along with a riderless horse, will join the group two miles from the Johnson home while the U.S. Marine Corp Color Guard will join the procession a quarter mile from the memorial.
"The freedoms we have are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. That's why anybody that wants to come and celebrate with us. He would want us to do that" said father Tom Johnson. "He probably would say ‘you guys are fussing too much over this'. He's smiling though. I know he is. That's the kind of guy he was."
The procession begins Saturday morning at 11 and the memorial service gets underway at 1:00 p.m. on the Johnson Ranch.
Johnson will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on February 24th and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has ordered flags to fly at half staff Friday and Saturday to honor Johnson.
(from February 4, 2009)
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has ordered flags to fly at half staff Friday and Saturday in honor of US Marine Sergeant Trevor J. Johnson. Johnson died on Tuesday, January 27th in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
He grew up on a ranch south of Forsyth and graduated from Colstrip High School in 2003. His family will hold a memorial for Sergeant Johnson on Saturday.
Sergeant Johnson's family will arrive in Billings late Wednesday night. It's the first trip to Montana for his wife Nikki, their 3-year-old son Landan and 8-month-old daughter Aspyn. The service will give them a chance to see where Trevor enjoyed much of his life.
Sergeant Johnson died while leading his men on a combat mission. He took the full force of an improvised explosive device.
As for the memorial service, a procession will start at the baseball field in Colstrip and goes through town on the normal parade route. Sergeant Johnson's 1972 Chevy pickup will lead the way, with his friend Hugh driving.
The procession goes to Highway 39, to Cow Creek Road and to Rosebud Creek Road -- that's a route he often drove after baseball practice.
A group of horseback riders led by his sister along with a riderless horse will join the group two miles from the Johnson home.
The US Marine Corp color guard will enter the march a quarter mile from the memorial.
(From January 30, 2009)
The family of a U.S. Marine who died Tuesday while on a combat mission in Afghanistan says that he was an excellent student and a fine athlete.
Sergeant Trevor J. Johnson died when he took the full force of an improvised explosive device.
He worked as a combat engineer, meaning he was willing to take the most risky position in the front in order to protect the men who served with him.
Johnson joined the U.S. Marine Corps right after graduating from Colstrip High School in 2003.
His family says they knew he was destined to be a Marine when he was 10 years old and that the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 solidified his decision.
They also say that growing up on a ranch prepared him for service.
The Johnson's are planning a memorial service for Trevor in a meadow near their home south of Forsyth.
They added that they want Trevor to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery so his children can visit, be proud and know what he did for his country.
