Pasadena Star-News

Ex-Covina resident among victims of Iraqi copter crash

By Ruby Gonzales
Staff Writer

Saturday, January 29, 2005 - COVINA -- A former Covina resident was among 31 soldiers killed when a U.S. helicopter crashed earlier this week in Iraq.

Cpl. Stephen P. Johnson, 24, along with 29 other Marines and one Navy sailor, were heading west to help with security for the upcoming Iraqi elections when their CH-53E Super Stallion went down near Rutbah on Wednesday.

It marked the single-greatest loss of American life since the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003.

Johnson's brother-in-law, Jason Williams, said he was an exceptional young man and very persistent.

"He was a proud Marine," Williams said.

Kari Williams of Yreka remembered her younger brother as someone who loved doing impressions. He did Jim Carrey and characters made famous by Mike Myers such as Austin Powers.

"He was entertaining. He was very comical," she said.

She said her brother also sang well, loved country music and was into computers and technology.

He was born and raised in Siskiyou County. He attended Yreka High School, but received his high school diploma through the military, Williams said.

Johnson was married and has a child. His son, Tyler, turned 1 year old Jan. 22, Williams said.

Johnson was trying to get out of some bad situation where he was living and moved to Covina in 2000, Williams said. He stayed with an aunt.

He was the middle child and had an older sister and a younger sister. The family is making funeral arrangements.

He joined the Marines in March 2001. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment based at Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, which lost 26 Marines and a Navy corpsman in the crash.

The military is investigating the cause of the crash. Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, noted the weather in western Iraq was bad.

"We don't know of any enemy action," he said. "The investigation continues. There will have to be more that comes out of this to learn what happened."

This was Johnson's first tour of duty in Iraq, said Gunnery Sgt. Claudia Lamantia, a spokeswoman at the Marine Corps base in Hawaii.

Marines from the base went to Okinawa last summer and arrived in Kuwait in September, she said. They drove to Iraq and were involved in the fighting in Fallujah, Lamantia said.

As of Friday, at least 1,423 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war, according to an Associated Press count. About 1,087 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said.

-- John Diehm of the Siskiyou Daily News and the Associated Press contributed to this story. Ruby Gonzales can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2718, or by e-mail at ruby.gonzales@sgvn.com .

Governor Lowers Flags For Covina Marine

POSTED: 3:35 pm PST February 1, 2005
UPDATED: 3:52 pm PST February 1, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags at the Capitol flown at half-staff Tuesday in honor of a Marine from Covina who died in a helicopter crash in Iraq.

Cpl. Stephen P. Johnson, 24, was among 31 servicemen who died Wednesday when their CH-53E Super Stallion went down in a sandstorm about 220 miles west of Baghdad, near the border with Jordan.

"Cpl. Johnson was an inspiration to many, and Maria and I are proud of his service to our country," the governor said.

"As we mourn the loss of all the valiant service members whose lives were lost in the recent helicopter crash over Iraq, we want to assure their families and loved ones they will not be forgotten," he said. "We will do everything in our power to keep their memories alive."

Johnson and 26 of the other servicemen who died in the crash were based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu.

Johnson was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Friend: Johnson represented America's best qualities, fought for freedom

Editor's note: Brenda Young, a friend of Cpl. Stephen Johnson's family, submitted the following letter to the editor. We felt it should be published on the front page.

By BRENDA J. YOUNG

I am writing this letter to honor a fallen Marine, a Siskiyou County boy, who grew into a loving, helpful, caring young man.

Stephen Johnson became a soldier and knew he would be able to help those who needed him. He always gave of himself completely. He went to Iraq believing that the American soldiers would bring freedom to a people that had known only tyranny, torture and oppression.

This amazing American hero was only 24 years old when God came to take him home to heaven.

He called his mother, Roni, his best friend and worshiped his wife, Kelsey, and their baby boy, Tyler, and brought laughter and joy to the rest of us.

Stephen gave strength to those around him who needed hope. He was proud to be a Marine and proud to help the Iraqi people find their way to freedom, and happy to watch democracy come to those who had known only fear.

Stephen brought joy and laughter to all he met. He had a quick wit and could make you laugh even if all you really wanted to do was cry.

He was the perfect example of America's best qualities: He fought to bring and preserve freedom, something so many Americans take for granted. He gave so much to so many and we are better people for having known him.

Stephen was truly one of God's favorites, a gift from God to each of us. I only wish God wouldn't have come for him so soon. He was with us just long enough to make each of us realize exactly what has been lost.

Hopefully, some comfort may be found in the knowledge that he always will be in our hearts.

He now will be there to watch over all of us, and he will guide Tyler and Kelsey through their lives by divine intervention.

This loss is great and will be felt by many for a long time to come. Thank you, Stephen, for all of the joy, laughter and love you brought to our lives.

For those who did not know him, may you be fortunate enough to know someone like Stephen.

You will be missed, Stephen, and may God send comfort to your family and friends, for in losing you this world lost a beautiful soul, a truly wonderful young man.

To all who knew and loved him and to those who did not get enough time with him. Cpl. Stephen Johnson was a Marine, a son, a brother, a husband, a father and a friend. He served his country well. As for all he left behind it is now our turn to carry on by celebrating his memory. So Semper Fi and carry on.

PHOTO CAPTION: Cpl. Stephen Johnson, center, strikes a pose with his sister, Kari Willams and brother-in-law, Jason.

A Hero Returns

Corporal Stephen Johnson

United States Marine Corps

1980-2005

Marine killed in Iraq returns to Yreka

YREKA - Two Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopters piloted by members of the Oregon National Guard landed in a field just west of Fairchild Medical Center in Yreka at approximately 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. Bearing precious cargo, one of the helicopters carried the body of U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Stephen Johnson, one of 31 servicemen who lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Iraq last week. The second helicopter carried the honor guard, men who somberly carried their comrade's flag-draped casket from the first helicopter to a nearby vehicle.

Law enforcement officers, city officials, community leaders and others were on hand, offering silent support to the grieving family. The aircraft circled the landing area before touching down, the engines' gut-rattling thunder an appropriate anthem for the fallen hero. The engines fell silent before a cadre of six non-commissioned U.S. Marines in dress blue uniforms disembarked and approached the second helicopter, which carried the soldier's remains. The silence was broken only by the sound of Johnson's young widow crying in the arms of family members.

According to family friends, Johnson died just four days after his son's first birthday. He was one of 31 U.S. servicemen who died in a helicopter crash in the Al Anbar province of western Iraq on Jan. 26. Thirty Marines and one U.S. Navy Corpsman died. Twenty-six of the Marines were members of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Johnson and another man killed in the crash, from Roseburg, Ore., were transported home by air to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, arriving Monday shortly before 8 p.m. From there, the bodies were flown to Portland and then to Salem, Ore., where they were placed with posted guards, overnight, in a National Guard Armory. Tuesday, the men were flown to Roseburg, where the family of Cpl. James Lee Moore, 24, was waiting for him. Moore, a 1999 graduate of Roseburg High School, was not married. His memorial service is slated for Thursday, the day he would have turned 25.

Reporter John Sowell of the Roseburg News Review was on the scene when the military transports arrived in Roseburg. Sowell said that after Moore's body was taken from the helicopter, Johnson's body was removed, as well, and placed on another helicopter while the first aircraft refueled. Sowell said this was a safety precaution in case of a mishap during refueling.

In Yreka, as Johnson's family and others drove down Bruce Street following the arrival, a young woman stood outside the Bruce Street Apartments waving a small, hand-held American flag. "God bless us all!" she cried as the cars drove past.

Yreka Mayor Rory McNeil said her heartfelt condolences go out to Johnson's family. "I was thinking about him yesterday," she said. "We were standing outside swearing in a new police officer and the I saw the flags at half-staff. Here we were, with a young man taking an oath to protect us, and at the same time the flags are lowered because we've lost someone else who took that same oath." McNeil noted that in a previous Daily News story, one of Johnson's teachers was quoted as saying Johnson was a quiet young man. "Steven was a quiet man - a hero. I guess still waters run deep."

McNeil added that her thoughts also are with the family of Michael Hancock, who lost his life last year defending his country. Johnson is the second man from Siskiyou County to die in Iraq.

State Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa told the Siskiyou Daily News he plans to attend Johnson's services Saturday. "I will make every effort to be there, if possible," he said. "My thoughts are that when we lose our soldiers over there it really hits home - when it's people you know.

"When I think of his young widow and their 1-year-old son, it crushes my heart. His family can be really proud of him. This is truly the ultimate sacrifice and it makes our freedom that much more precious."

According to David Reed of LaMalfa's office, the State Assembly adjourned at noon in memory of Cpl. Johnson on Monday during its regular session. "It is a tragedy and a sacrifice that needs to be recognized," Reed said.

Congressman Wally Herger who could not be reached by telephone sent a faxed comment stating, "My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Marine Corporal Stephen Johnson. He gave his life fighting for the noblest of causes - to protect our nation from the threat of terrorism and in pursuit of freedom abroad. The crash that claimed his life and that of more than 30 other servicemen, will be remembered by Americans as the most tragic of the war."

Master Sgt. Jeff Vandercooley, stationed at Headquarters Marine Corps at Quantico, Va., accompanied the bodies of the fallen Marines home. Pausing briefly in his duties to speak with the Daily News, Vandercooley said that his 19-year-old son, also a Marine, was deployed to Iraq several days ago. Is he afraid for him? Vandercooley's steely blue eyes betrayed emotion as he replied, "Every day."

Although the crash is believed to have been caused by weather, Marine Corps officials say that has not been verified yet.

Johnson's memorial services are planned for 1 p.m. Saturday, at the Grenada Berean Church, with burial with full military honors following in Evergreen Cemetery in Yreka.

By MAGGIE MAGUIRE