A U.S. solider hospitalized for life-threatening injuries suffered in Iraq received another devastating blow when he learned that two of his children who were on their way to visit him died in a car crash.
The El Paso Times reported Monday that Army Spc. John Austin Johnson was waiting for his wife and three children at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, when he received the news.
The mother, Lisa Johnson, was driving an SUV when a strong gust of wind overturned the vehicle, causing it to roll four times, killing Logan, 2, and Ashley, 5. Tyler Johnson, 9, the couple's oldest son, suffered massive head injuries and remains on life support at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, the Times reported.
Johnson, who survived four other near-misses in Iraq, was injured by an explosive device blast that left him with intense brain damage and a severe stutter.
Many have rallied around the Johnson family, providing support and comfort. One person donated five cemetery plots at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Alexander, Ark., while another provided funeral markers for Logan and Ashley. The funeral was set to take place Tuesday.
A Defense Department-recognized nonprofit organization is soliciting donations to help the family of Army Spc. John Austin Johnson, whose wife and three children were in a fatal traffic accident while traveling to visit him at a Texas hospital.
Two of the children, Logan and Ashley, ages 2 and 5, were killed in the Oct. 13 accident. The third child, 9-year-old Tyler, was listed in critical condition Oct. 26 at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Johnson’s wife, Lisa, was treated and released with minor injuries.
Spc. Johnson had been recovering from combat injuries at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he is still receiving outpatient treatment. “There’s going to be a lot of financial strain on this family,” said Karla Ayala, founder of the Texas chapter of Operation Homefront, which is working to provide emergency assistance to the family.
The family lost its only vehicle in the accident, and had declared bankruptcy earlier this year, Ayala said.
Lisa Johnson and the children were en route from Fort Bliss, near El Paso, to Brooke — a distance of more than 500 miles — when they crashed. Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Schmidt told The Associated Press the accident apparently was the result of overcorrecting the sport utility vehicle after a gust of wind on the Texas plains.
Spc. Johnson, who is attached to the 9th Cavalry Squadron, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, arrived at Brooke after suffering injuries from an improvised explosive device attack in late August in Iraq — the fifth such attack he had experienced during his deployment, according to Schmidt, who works at the medical center as part of C Company, Warrior Transition Battalion. Johnson was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.
The Johnsons attended funeral services for their children Oct. 23 in their home state of Arkansas, and then returned to Children’s Medical Center, Schmidt said.
Here’s how to help:
The family has established the Ashley and Logan Johnson Memorial Fund at Bank of America. Donations can be made at any branch with instructions to deposit the money in the Dallas-based fund.
To donate to Operation Homefront, see the Web site of Operation Homefront Texas at http://www.operationhomefront.net/Texas.
Checks can be sent by mail to: Operation Homefront Texas, 17305 IH 35 N, Suite 105, Schertz, Texas 78154. h
Posted by: justanotherparatrooper
God my heart aches for them, this sucks beyond words.
Posted by: llama
JAP - You got that right...
Posted by: kttref
Wow. I don't think I have ever heard anything so horrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Johnson family.
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