Charles Rodney Johnson

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by West Point 1955 on September 3, 2017:

A Final Officer's Efficiency Report I was privileged to be with Charlie when the hospital chaplain took his hand and told God in prayer that Charlie, always in uniform, was standing tall: his shoes were polished, his brass shined and his uniform creased perfectly. He was, the chaplain assured God, ready for his next set of orders; ready to be told where to report for further service in God's army for good. Truth be told, I had a moment of panic in that moment, thinking that perhaps a letter of recommendation or, as the army would call it, an officer's efficiency report (OER), might best serve God as he made such an important decision about how to deploy Charlie's considerable strengths. Looking back to that heartrending prayer, I so wished that I had in my hands in that moment all the cards, letters and emails so, so many of you sent to me following Charlie's passing. So, fully believing that God operates on his own timeline, and perhaps Charlie merely had a temporary duty station until he came to rest at his beloved West Point, I took the many kind words you all generously shared, and, I hope with your blessing, wrote an officer's efficiency report from all of us for God's review. Memo to: God Subject: Permanent Duty Assignment for Col. (Ret' d) Charles R. Johnson, Cullum # 20589 From: The many whose lives he touched and in whose grateful hearts he resides God, while we believe that you are all knowing, we also know that everyone needs some guidance now and then, particularly on matters of great import. We humbly offer a collective efficiency report that has been belatedly prepared for your review and consideration. (Special Note: Please, God, I know Mrs. Beardsley, my favorite high school English teacher, would rack me over the coals for not attributing the following thoughts to their proper authors, but since this is a collective memo, could you ask her to forgive me?) As there are many Johnsons who might be waiting for a decision from you, our Charlie is also known as Sonny, Son, Col. Charlie, Big Daddy, The Colonel and, my personal favorite, Lover. Over the years, he has had many more colorful nicknames, but we are guessing those listed here will suffice for your records. You may already be aware of him as those who loved him called him "a prince of a man," with a one of a kind stamp of uniqueness. An outgoing sort, we suspect he has already made his presence known to you. God, for sure this man has authentic, natural leadership presence. Those of us gathered today, if honest, can all remember the very moment they met him. He fills a room with purpose. He models integrity walking; from his ramrod posture to his welcoming bear hugs, from his smiling eyes to his iron-firm handshake, from his distinctive Mississippi drawl to his powerful whistle, from his gentleman's charm to his strong chin: when you meet Charlie Johnson, you know you have met a remarkable and unforgettable someone. Even a chance encounter is a delight, so perhaps you have bumped into him near the beer cooler already and can confirm this first impression. He tends to fit in easily in every new group as he volunteers for those tasks others don't want. The day I married him, God, the magical essence of his wonderfulness was on display. It was the 1980's and writing one's own vows was still considered edgy. I took the lead on writing ours, and Charlie, in retrospect far too agreeably, went along with all my ideas. I had no idea that he intended to adlib his way through the ceremony, taking every opportunity to add imaginative flair to his expressions of love and commitment. He wrote his own vows all right; he invented them on the spot. And that was how our marriage went for the next 33 years. Believe everything you hear about his sense of humor, his story-worthy pranks, his whimsy, his solos on the tonette, his antics after one too many beers, his belief that nothing beats a good joke for turning a day in the right direction. This man is an effervescent broadcaster of good will, a Barnum and Bailey high-powered positive energy magnet. Send him on missions where fun is essential-and good Dixieland Jazz is appreciated-- and he will deliver in every regard. Seriously though, God, it is his conviction and belief in sincerely caring about those whom he leads and whom he loves that makes him worthy of a most special next assignment. Those who walked with him on his life's journey talk about being blessed, fortunate, grateful, proud, lucky, glad and privileged to know him. We hold in our hearts the many personal stories of how he cared-for us and for others. He shares himself freely, straightforwardly-sometimes too much so. Therefore, blessedly, each of us has a part of him forever, yet we all know that he has so much more to give. He lives life out loud-as others aspire to-- and in so doing he has inspired countless numbers of fellow classmates, soldiers, veterans, friends and family with his passion, his commitment to grand causes, and his contagious patriotism. By now you may have discovered that he is an ardent feminist-"the very best men are" as he would say. And he is an American hero, everything a West Pointer could aspire to be, and one of those unbendable good guys who never let ego get in the way of accomplishing the mission. One of his many fans said simply: "I would follow him to the ends of the earth." With your permission, bragging on him just a bit, God, others note he is a great American, a true Southern gentleman, the veteran's ideal, generous with his resources, his time, his wisdom, his gratitude, his friendship, his love, his opinions, his favorite books, his newspaper clippings, his beer and his stories. He is a tower of strength, built from the pillars of good and right. Charlie's cousin Bobby, whom Charlie will remind you was a walk-on basketball player at Duke, noted that if ever there was a time to celebrate a life rather than mourn a death, it is now. Now, God, we are not suggesting Charlie is perfect. You know him better than that. After all, there was that little matter of being a five-year man at West Point who graduated as a "clean-sleever." Just like all of us, his considerable strengths might occasionally be the source of some of those "areas for improvement" that get mentioned in officer efficiency reports. Brave and big-hearted, he is also tough, strong minded, impressively disciplined and ferociously passionate about doing good in the world. Those of us who loved him best always knew that we shared him with his country, his causes and those whom he led. And that made life...shall we say" interesting"? Ask him about the time he imaginatively took our car---with windows shut and all vents closed-and filled it to the brim with hundreds of warm hot dogs on a steamy, humid, summer day, so that it could act as an oversized bun warmer for a charity event. I don't think our Nissan ever recovered from that one. Yet, gratitude and appreciation are his watchwords, and he shared thanks in abundance with all who make his life better-even in the smallest of ways. And those who were loved deeply by him? We knew it every day of our lives. We also knew those things in which he took great pride: his cherished hometown of Bruce, his heroic mother Miss Bert, his much beloved home state of Mississippi, the joy-filled Baddour Center that our Joe has called home for 36 years. And the pride he took in his alma mater-this place, his classmates in 55, his service to his country, those with whom he served both while in the service and after, his family and..... Army football-Go Army, Beat Navy! Deeply principled and always engaged, he does not skim the surface and, in doing so, he made us all want to be better. Things were just better when Charlie was around, so it should be no surprise to you, God, that many of us, when faced with a tough situation, now say: "What would Charlie do?" With his oft-heard request: "Give me the mission," Charlie is the epitome of what a soldier, citizen and public servant should be, relentlessly driven by Duty, Honor, Country. If ever there was someone tailor-made to serve as a guardian angel, God, it is Charlie. So we hope you will consider him for such assignments. In fact, God, we humbly conclude this OER by recommending you replace Charlie's eagles with several stars and promote him to general officer in your army for good. He will over deliver, on that we can guarantee So that all of us assembled here can affirm this OER and make it an official efficiency report to God, might I ask that you each repeat the last word I said when the hospital chaplain asked God to give Charlie his next orders: Amen. We all know that Charlie was a world-class public speaker, so he will appreciate that I leaned into one his favorite speech making quips as I thought about today: "Lord, fill me up with the right stuff and shut me up when I have said enough." I think I have said enough! Let me close with some helpful guidance: we can all bear witness to Charlie's powerful ability to connect to others through stories and shared connections. Even during his last days in the hospital, he greeted each new medical professional with two questions: where are you from and where did you get your medical training? Just those two questions guaranteed a meaningful personal connection. So Charlie's family and I, knowing we have folks from all walks of life with us today, are using Charlie's time-tested strategy for getting you all connected to each other. When we hit the reception, approach anyone you don't know and simply ask: how do you know Charlie? The story telling will be powerful. The celebration will be fabulous. As Cicero wrote: "the life given us by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal." This is a day for sharing such memories. Trudy Hall 9 June 2017

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