Mourners Recall a Marine Who Never Wavered

Young Sergeant From Montana Chose His Path Early, Was Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan

From a young age, Trevor J. Johnson wanted to be a Marine. His desire solidified after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, according to people who knew him growing up, and he enlisted soon after graduating from high school two years later. He served three tours of duty in two wars. And yesterday, the Marine sergeant was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Johnson, 23, of Forsyth, Mont., died Jan. 27 while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was killed along with fellow Marine Sgt. David W. Wallace III, 25, of Sharpsville, Pa. Both were assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Johnson "was one of those kids in school that looked out for the younger kids, and I really think that's why he felt that calling to the military," said Gary Ramsey, a teacher at Colstrip High School in Montana who was an administrator when the future Marine was a student there. "He wanted to take care of people that couldn't take care of themselves."

More than 100 mourners followed the horse-drawn caisson to Arlington's Section 60 yesterday, walking beneath the bare willow oaks that line York Drive. Folded American flags were presented to Johnson's wife, Jennifer, and his parents, Colleen and Thomas Johnson.

Johnson had already deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and went a second time to Afghanistan in November. He grew up on a ranch between Colstrip and Forsyth. In school, he wrestled, played football and baseball and "always had a smile on his face," Ramsey said. Johnson's mother was an English teacher at the school.

If you met Johnson, "you never forgot him," said Jewel Davenport, an agriculture and business teacher at the school. She said that Johnson often gave her son, Wes, a ride to baseball practice or games and that he also provided encouragement.

Johnson "did make a difference for a lot of people," she said. "He touched the hearts of many people."

When Johnson was on leave, he would visit the school and talk about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Russ Davidson, who taught Johnson's social studies class.

"I never saw him waver," Davidson said. "There was never a second where he even indicated to me any second thoughts. He was just as committed when he was in high school as he was when he came back on leave."

Johnson talked a lot about how his main concern was the safety of the people with whom he was serving. " 'I want to come back with as many guys as I left with,' " Davidson recalled Johnson saying.

Lonesome, a black mustang from Montana, led the six horses pulling the caisson to Johnson's grave. Lonesome was donated to the Old Guard in 2002, according to Maj. Steve Cole, a spokesman for the unit. The donor, Mark Sant, had read that the Old Guard needed horses for the caisson platoon. Sant, an archaeologist in western Montana, also said that he thought including a Montana mustang in the service would help Johnson's family. He contacted the office of Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) to arrange Lonesome's participation.

"I knew [Johnson] was a ranch kid that probably liked horses as much as I do," Sant said.