James D. Johnson, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by John C. Worsencroft, September 25, 2009: Saving the Legacy tape no. IA-6

Transcript (31 pages) of an interview by John C. Worsencroft with James D. Johnson on September 25, 2009. From tape number IA-6 in the "Saving the Legacy" Oral History Project

Johnson (b. 1947) grew up in Logan, Utah. He attended Logan High School and graduated from Utah State University, where he was commissioned in the ROTC. J.D. talks about the importance of leadership and the qualities he finds prevalent in good leaders. During the Vietnam War, JD served as a senior military advisor in a Mobile Advisory Team (MAT 135) as part of the "Vietnamization" efforts in South Vietnam. In Vietnam, J.D. learned the importance of NCO leadership in the Army. He talks about the institution of the All-Volunteer Force and the end of the draft. J.D. also worked in Afghanistan as a civilian employed by Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI) and he talks about the geopolitical, military, and social issues surrounding the war in Afghanistan, as well as in Iraq. He helped to create a non-profit to build an orphanage in Afghanistan, called the Afghan Orphanage Project. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, J.D. led a brigade of army reservists and guardsmen as a part of a Joint Security Task Force for the games. Interviewed by John C. Worsencroft. 31 pages.