Charles Rodney Johnson

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by West Point 1955 on July 6, 2019:

Charles Rodney Johnson 1955 Cullum No. 20589-1955 - January 12, 2017 Died in Charlottesville, VA Cremated. Inurned at West Point Cemetery, NY Charles Rodney "Charlie" Johnson was born in Bruce, MS, the son of James Holdman Johnson and Bert (Scrivener) Johnson. He lost his father early in life, and it was his mother who raised Charlie and instilled in him an abiding desire for social justice and to serve others. As a child growing up in Bruce, Charlie had the space and freedom to develop his military skills by playing soldier and fighting rubber gun battles with his friends. He left at age 13 for the Gulf Coast Military Academy in Gulfport, MS. After graduating, he successfully applied for appointment to the United States Military Academy and joined the Class of 1954 but was subsequently proud to "add leadership" to the Class of 1955. Here, he spent most of his cadet life in the gym, where he found the boxing ring more invigorating than calculus. Charlie was happiest when "the mission" involved athletic competition. As the Howitzer points out, "He used his free time making friends and enjoying the inducements of civilian life." It was in these pursuits that Charlie began to form a strong bond with his classmates, commitments that were to last a lifetime. Charlie was proud to select Infantry as his branch of choice. As a second lieutenant of Infantry in July 1955 he reported to Fort Benning, GA for Airborne School and from there to Ranger School. One of Charlie"s earliest assignments was to the University of Mississippi, where he was called upon to lead his platoon as part of the military deployment to keep the peace as James Meredith became the first African American to matriculate at "Ole Miss," just down the road from his hometown. Charlie"s military career took him to two tours of duty in Vietnam, initially as a Vietnamese Ranger advisor, then the operations officer in the Special Operations Group, and finally the commander of a Light Infantry Battalion in both the 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions. Charlie also enjoyed two tours at his alma mater, returning for a teaching assignment in the Office of Physical Education in 1967 and back again in 1978 as the deputy to the Director of Athletics in the Office of Intercollegiate Athletics. In truth, Charlie had a lifelong love affair with West Point, remaining active in the activities of the Class of 1955, serving on its executive committee as secretary, then serving as its president from 2010 to 2015. He was extraordinarily proud to be honored by his class in 2015 with a Distinguished Classmate Award for his outstanding service to his class. In 1981, after serving 26 and a half years, Charlie retired while serving as the deputy post commander at Fort Devens, MA. His first job after retirement was at Culver Academy, where he met Trudy Hall. After their marriage, having completed a long and successful Army career, Charlie turned his considerable energies to supporting Trudy in her career in education. Following several tours of "educational" duty, Charlie and Trudy arrived in Troy, NY, where Trudy became the head of Emma Willard School, a preeminent boarding school for girls. His dedication to Emma Willard was on display daily as he cheered on its sports teams, spoke to history classes about his military experiences, and generally served as a grandfather figure for the entire school community. However, his primary focus and his second career was supporting the men and women who had served our country in the military by volunteering in community service and advocacy roles in support of veterans. During his time in Troy, Charlie served on the Troy ethics committee and on the Oakwood cemetery board, and he volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. However, his significant energies and great passion were dedicated to supporting veterans. Among his many roles, Charlie served on the boards of the North Albany American Legion Post 1610 and VFW Post 8444, volunteered at Stratton VA Medical Center, served on the New York State Governor"s Commission for State Veteran Cemeteries, and was honored to serve as president of the Tri-County Council of Vietnam Era Veterans, truly his last command post. The veterans and their organizations appreciated Charlie"s service by awarding him numerous honors, such as being the grand marshal of both the Albany Veterans Day parade and the Lansingburgh Memorial Day parade. In 2011, he was inducted in the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame; in 2014, he was named Veteran of the Year by the Capital District of New York; in 2016, the Tri-County Council of Vietnam Era Veterans named an annual regional award for him. Charlie was deeply committed to education. He served on an advisory board for a leadership program at Duke University, and he raised an endowment of over $100,000 to fund scholarships for veterans at the Hudson Valley, Schenectady, and Adirondack community colleges. He secured scholarships for students at Russell Sage College, Emma Willard School, and Northwest Mississippi Community College. Finally, Charlie helped establish a junior ROTC program at Albany High School. Charlie truly left his mark on everyone and everything he touched during his long and productive life. One of his favorite quotes was "there"s no greater feeling of self-satisfaction than to serve your country and know you served it well." And that he did. Charlie was a man of impressive decency, good will, generosity, and devotion to family, friends and to his duty. Be Thou at Peace - until we meet again.

admin