Photo By Diana Nesukh | Lt Col Alexis Johnson has dedicated eighteen years of her life to the Air Force and...... read more read more
Subscribe
For Lt. Col. Alexis Johnson, Black history is American history; it is paying tribute to honor generations of Black men and women who paved the way for others to succeed. Currently serving as the 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron commander at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Johnson credits where she is today to the resiliency her parents displayed throughout her life. Her parents were born in Mississippi during the era of Jim Crow laws and her father was drafted into the Vietnam War where he served for 10 years as a military police officer. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Johnson received extensive education on Black history from her parents. She learned about impactful Black Americans like Booker T. Washington, W.E.B Du Bois and others. It was at an early age, after moving from Memphis to a predominantly white neighborhood in Jonesboro, Georgia, that the lessons she learned from her parents came into perspective.
Guided by the examples set by her parents, Johnson continued using education to her advantage and excelled in high school, earning an engineering scholarship to attend Tennessee State University (TSU), a historically Black university. During her first year at the TSU College of Engineering, the dean of the school, Decatur Rogers, had a requirement that all engineering students must enroll in one semester of the ROTC program. He wanted to challenge engineering students to break free of the stigmas surrounding their career field as well as build character and leadership skills. While most of her peers left the program after one semester, Johnson was hooked and committed the next three years to ROTC.
Like many other brave men and women, Sept. 11, 2001, was an inflection point that shaped the entirety of Johnson’s military career. While waiting to complete her ROTC physical at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Johnson watched as planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Distraught and concerned for her country, Johnson was assured more than ever in her decision to answer the call of duty. Little did she know, the decision she made to fight for her country that morning would culminate in her 18-year career.
While Johnson experienced wins throughout her long career, she overcame many setbacks to become the Airman she is today. During the initial years as an officer, she learned the demanding pace the Air Force required. The fast-paced environment taught Johnson many lessons about adapting to military life. One of those lessons that she uses to encourage her young company grade officers is "take time to learn your current job as much as possible," Johnson said. A strong advocate of mental health, she ensures that her team understands the toll that Air Force duties can have on a person. At the forefront of her leadership is advocating for officers to take care of themselves.
Climbing toward the rank of lieutenant colonel was a difficult yet fulfilling feat. At each turning point, Johnson was presented with challenges to overcome and learn from. After becoming a squadron commander, Johnson made it her mission to provide mentorship to her team. Reflecting on her childhood and early days as an officer, Johnson fostered a culture and environment of respect within her unit. She outlined five things that are not tolerated under her command: racial slurs, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, abuse of power, and misuse of government computers.
What differentiates Johnson’s leadership from others is her ability to challenge Airmen to identify and work on their soft skills. “As engineers, we are naturally introverted and want to get the job done, but one thing we need to excel in are soft skills that provide us with emotional intelligence,” said Johnson.
Empathy plays a huge role in being able to understand the struggles her team faces and implement appropriate actions to progress forward. Johnson is proud of her service to the Air Force and has been particularly impressed with the inclusive measures it has implemented in recent years. One of those measures is the racial disparities survey which has created room for discussions to take place and has increased inclusivity and boosted morale.
Johnson took the oath to defend her country during a dark moment in the nation's history. A glimmer of light pierced that darkness many years later. While serving as the Emergency Operations Center director at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Johnson was thrust into the center of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, ending its military presence there after nearly 20 years. With the changes that occurred within Afghanistan at that time, many refugees fled the country. Johnson was responsible for coordinating the feeding and lodging of 35,000 Afghan refugees.
"It was the most stressful I have been in my Air Force career. At the drop of a dime, we had to stop what we were doing to help these people coming to us," said Johnson, but it was also the proudest moment in her Air Force career.
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2023 12:27 |
| Story ID: | 439269 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 557 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, An Unbreakable Oath to Serve: How Education and 9/11 Impacted One Airman, by Wood Francois and Diana Nesukh, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
