Wanda English Burnett, Editor

SPC Nicolas Johnson from Milan was awarded an army accommodation medal last Thursday, September 18 for his part in detecting an explosive device and thereby saving the lives of fellow soldiers and civilians.

The local soldier is deployed to Iraq with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He works as a gunner with a combat patrol squad with the Task Force 293rd Infantry Battalion.

The mission to a northern city in Iraq resulted in Johnson and two other soldiers, SPC Jake Manning, of Columbus and Sergeant First Class Chad Bartlett, of Fort Wayne, being honored. They were serving as scouts. “Just like any other night, my eyes were glued to the road,” the soldier told The Versailles Republican in an email correspondence. He continued, “We were going down the road when all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I saw wires...we all yelled knowing that these were very strong indicators for a Improvised Explosive Device or I.E.D.”

The soldier recalls the event saying they “immediately got the rest of the squad to stop, along with the oncoming traffic.” He noted that he worked with the rest of his team to secure the area and make all the necessary maneuvers for the explosive ordinance teams to take over. He noted, “I was scared, but we all used our training and did all the right things to keep our fellow soldiers from getting seriously hurt or killed.” He noted it was a pretty large explosive device.

Of the accommodation medal Johnson says, “We were just soldiers, doing our job.” He did say he was extremely honored and “it just felt really nice to receive an award for all of our hard work over here.”
SPC Johnson says he’s proud to serve his country, “It’s been my life long dream, and I feel I’ve helped make a difference here.” The 24-year-old will soon complete four years with the Indiana Army National Guard and is looking forward to coming home. He says, “You never really know how special home really is.”

His wife, Angela, knows what a special person her husband is and told The Versailles Republican, she “wasn’t surprised when he received the award.” She noted, “When Nick does anything, he does it 110%. That’s what I love most about him.” The two met at a school basketball game.

Angela says she knew her husband wanted to go into the military, saying, “It was just something he always wanted to do. He’s so focused.” The two have a daughter, Isabella, 3, who talks about her daddy everyday, according to Angela. The two cherished a short visit from the soldier this summer and look forward to his permanent return home.

“Mom, the angels were with me,” SPC Johnson told his mother, Brenda, in a phone conversation after the fact. “He knows we’re praying everyday for him,” she told The Versailles Republican.

When the Milan soldier deployed to Iraq in January, it was a sad day for his family. Brenda remembers his sisters crying and being upset. Then she found a book her son had written as a project in Mrs. Sagester’s first grade class at Milan Elementary. The story line was that he was going to Iraq as a soldier and he was going to capture Saddum Hussein. The book was complete with helicopter and soldier pictures. “We felt it was his destiny to go,” she noted, saying their family was comforted to know he was doing what he always wanted to do. “He’s our hero, they’re (soldiers) all our heroes,” Brenda concluded.

According to Ripley Publishing Co. files, SPC Johnson is a reserve officer for the Milan Police Department and plans to pursue a career in law enforcement when he finishes his time in the military.
SPC Johnson is the son of Jerry and Brenda Johnson and grandson of Delores Benham, all of Milan. He has two sisters, Elizabeth Roell and Tracy Mullikin, also of Milan.

SPC Nicolas Johnson