The past couple of decades have had Marine 1st Sergeant Harry Johnson in several locations around the world, and the naval science instructor has some extremely familiar territory on his near horizon this month, through his role as a leader in Naval Junior ROTC programs.
Johnson, largely known for his "N.J." involvement at Aiken High School since the 2015-16 academic year, has a prior background in helping keep C-130 cargo planes in top condition, and he's on track to help lead the N.J. program at Strom Thurmond High in a few months. He knows the landscape, as a 1988 Thurmond graduate, and can also call on a variety of life lessons, having visited more than 20 countries via his service as a Marine.
He spent most of his childhood in Edgefield County, where his parents were fully involved in basic farm work, with peaches as a huge factor in the local economy and higher education as an elusive concept.
Stepping into the military was a major transition for him. "My parents were migrant workers, for years, so we'd travel up and down the east coast. My grandparents and aunts and uncles were in Johnston, and they lived on Frank Berry's farm, and they worked that, and so ... my siblings and I spent a lot of years with my grandparents, uncles and aunts there, and then finally, at some point – I think my eighth-grade year – my parents stopped traveling. They also moved there on Frank Berry's place, and from there, I stayed and went to high school and graduated from Strom Thurmond High School."
College, he said, was not a financial option and was definitely not a family tradition. "Didn't have anyone in my family that had been to college, so kind of navigating that, even still, would have been tricky."
Johnson, however, did have one relative who was in the Army. "I remember seeing him in a picture, and when I saw him come, I saw he was doing well, so for me, it was, 'This is the route I can take – the career path – to do better ... for my future family.' That kind of drove me to the military."
His intent, he said, was not to stay for 20 years, but he gave Uncle Sam two decades, largely focusing on cargo aircraft. "I ended up loving it. You know what? This is taking care of me, and now I have a family. I'm doing pretty well, so I decided to stay in 20 years and retired."
Those 20 years included a non-military milestone, as he married longtime friend Bridgett Johnson, a 1990 Strom Thurmond graduate, and their family has grown to include three sons, two daughters and six grandchildren.
Along the way, the father of the house picked up a bachelor's degree from Park University, focusing on business management and human resources, and also spent some time as a Marine recruiter and also as an instructor in a leadership course.
Retirement was 15 years ago, with a travel record that includes Thailand, Djibouti, Kenya, Australia, Norway, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iceland, Mexico, Canada, Ireland and Germany
His Marine uniforms accompany him to work on a regular basis and has admirers among young members of the Marine Corps and other sectors of the military.
"I'm a Marine, and he's the whole reason I joined the Marine Corps," said Cpl. Kate McCaskill, a 2019 Aiken High graduate. "He's made a really big impact on my life ... He is like a father figure more than a teacher, to me."
She added, "He goes above and beyond. He was one of those kinds of teachers where you would come in late and he would ask why, and make sure you were ... OK with your home life. He'd always push you past your limits, and he did a really good job of just being a mentor, being a guiding figure."
Johnson may have an easier time, in the years ahead, keeping up with his students, as the Strom Thurmond student body currently numbers around 700. Aiken High, by comparison, is around 1,200.
Col. Claude Davis, with South Aiken High's NJROTC program, gave Johnson a thumbs-up review. "He is a guy that spends a lot of time with his students. His students just love him."
"He's got this calm humbleness that is really just grounded in strong leadership traits," said Jason Holt, director of administration for Edgefield County's school district. Holt, having served as Aiken High's principal from 2019 to 2022, has known Johnson for several years.
"He has this sense about him where he can relate with almost anybody," Holt added. "He really has an infectious positivity about him, and he does an excellent job, just as a person, relating to all types of people. I mean, he really wants to get to know you and that comes out within 30 seconds of talking with him."
"First Sergeant is definitely ... the best mentor that I have ever had in my life," said Aiken High senior Maya Cianni Guzman, commanding officer of the school NJROTC unit this year. "He is always looking to the 'up' side of things.
Guzman, who is preparing to attend Full Sail University, in Florida, said laughter and smiles are normal features – not exceptions to the rule – in Johnson's classroom. "He's genuinely changed my life. I just see him as like another father figure to me. Everyone looks at him like a second dad," she said.
"He treats everybody with love and kindness, and I think that's a huge part of people's lives ... He's always there to help people, all the time."
Johnson's NJROTC experience also includes time in southwestern Georgia, working at Westover High School, in Albany, for three years just prior to his move back to the Aiken area.
He addressed the topic of his upcoming job shift. "It's kind of bittersweet. Aiken High School ... has been great," he said.
"When I first entertained doing ROTC, instantly Strom Thurmond came to mind, and it's been 11 years now, doing ROTC, but it wasn't available. Timing wasn't right, but ... I would like to give back to the community where I came from, and Strom Thurmond would have been the ideal situation, so I look forward to it. I looked forward to leading the kids here, but I look forward to that next phase, if you will."
