Heroes are not made. Heroes are born.

Dissect the word integrity and find its components; honesty, character, strength.

True integrity rises from the innermost self -inspired from guidance, but maintained through a steadfast belief in moral soundness. Yet, still not enough for the title of a hero. Take integrity and add the willingness to die.

Add the intelligence to analyze.

Add the awareness of self.

Find heart, courage and risk and sacrifice.

Embrace a deep pulsing desire to live, and live fully. Understand mortality. Know that charging towards death may be the means of preserving life.
- Written about Johnny, by family friend, Jan Richards

About Johnny

From the time Johnny was young, he always strived to do his very best. When he had a passion about something, he learned everything he could about it. For instance, Johnny loved dinosaurs. He constantly drew pictures of them and read and studied every book he could get his hands on. If you wanted to know the name of any dinosaur, he knew it. When the movie, Jurassic Park came out, he anxiously awaited each day until it started. At about the age of ten, his passion grew toward the military, and specifically the to US Marine Corps. He again learned all that he could about the Marines, and studied and perfected his physical and mental skills to prepare himself to become the best Marine he could.

About Johnny, The Marine

Johnny enlisted as a Marine in 2001, completed Bootcamp in November 2002, and was deployed to Iraq in March 2003. He was a machine gunner ammo assistant in the "Operation Iraqi Freedom" through the push to Baghdad. In June 2004, he deployed once more to the Al Anbar province in Garma, Iraq as a provisional rifleman. In same tour, he participated in the second push through Fallujah as a machine gun team leader. During this fight, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, a great honor to be awarded amongst his peers. This award displayed his heroic efforts to save his fellow Marines and bold initiative in taking action. In March 2005, immediately upon his homecoming, Johnny attended and completed Scout Sniper Platoon Indoctrination. In September 2005, he was deployed for his third tour, again to the Al Anbar province, this time in Haditha, Iraq as a M249 gunner or team security. During this deployment, he participated in over 70 surveillance and reconnaissance operations. After returning home in April, Johnny spent the course of the year attending and completing Scout Sniper School. He was deployed once more in April 2007. On his fourth tour, he deployed with the 13th MEU on board Bohhome Richard enroute to the Persian Gulf. Over the next eight months, he served as a scout sniper team leader. He also oversaw the security, trained and facilitated the battalion's guard, which included joint Iraqi and Marine positions. Since his return home, the battalion command has used Johnny's area of expertise to train and teach new Marines. In May 2008, Johnny received a Meritorious Award for designing and running a combat marksman course along with his fellow Marines. He is also in the process of receiving additional recognition in the further training and facilitating of the battalion's logistics and maintenance.

Lawyer, Gary Myers

Upon graduation from law school in 1968, Mr. Myers volunteered during the Vietnam period for service in the Army JAG Corps, where he received a direct commission as a captain. Mr. Myers served in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1969 to 1973. Mr. Myers was a defense counsel in the My Lai trials. More recently Mr. Myers was defense counsel in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse trials.
For more information, please visit his website.

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