The Daily Record
Dunn Veteran To March In National Memorial Day Parade
•
Will join other Gulf War veterans in D.C.
Twenty-five years ago, more than 600,000 service members took part in Operation Desert Storm, at the time the largest deployment of U.S. Armed Forces since Vietnam.
Marcus Johnson, then an Airman from Dunn, was one of those who left friends and family behind to serve the United States. Mr. Johnson is a 1990 graduate of Triton High School.
Today, Mr. Johnson lives in New Bern and works for the Navy as an environmental protection specialist. Before moving to New Bern, Mr. Johnson worked for the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. His parents are the late Henry Johnson of Dunn and Charlotte Ennis of Dunn.
On Monday, Mr. Johnson will march among hundreds of Gulf War veterans in the American Veterans Center’s National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
To mark the 25th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm and honor those who served and sacrificed, the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association and America Veterans Center have invited more than 500 Gulf War veterans to reunite at the National Memorial Day Parade, according to a press release sent out this week.
The veterans are participating thanks to the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association and its mission to honor the legacy of the Gulf War through building a monument in See Parade, Page 3A
Marcus Johnson is his marching gear, left, and in 1990 at boot camp.
Parade
Continued From Page One
the nation’s capital to the 383 service members who fell during the war and honoring those who served in this pivotal moment in world history.
“While foremost our mission at the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association is to build a monument to our fallen brothers and sisters, we are also committed to honoring the many hundreds of thousands of men and women who left homes, jobs and families to stand up for America’s values,” said Scott Stump, founder, president and CEO of the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association, in a statement.
“We are so glad that veterans like Marcus Johnson are marching with us to teach Americans about the service and sacrifice made by all veterans of Operation Desert Storm,” said Mr. Stump.
Mr. Johnson and other veterans will follow part of the same route service members returning from the Middle East marched 25 years ago.
“Like their comrades of the past, Mr. Johnson will be met with the cheers of hundreds of thousands of patriotic Americans. By honoring Gulf War veterans alongside veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and our most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the parade will cement Operation Desert Storm as one of our nation’s key battles for freedom,” the press release reads.
In 2014, Congress passed legislation and President Barack Obama signed a law approving construction of the National Desert Storm War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Since that day, the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association has been working to build the monument and continues to raise funds for its goal.
