U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Amanda H. Johnson is a full-time federal technician for the California National Guard and is the Public Affairs NCOIC for the 40th Infantry Division, based out of Los Alamitos, California.
As a Public Affairs Specialist for California, Johnson provides photo and video coverage to units, missions and events throughout the state. She coordinates annual Wildland Fire training for Air and Army Guard public affairs assets and edits articles and layouts for the California National Guard’s digital magazine, The Grizzly. As the NCOIC of the 40th ID, she mentors junior enlisted Soldiers, maintains accountability of all equipment, supports senior leadership public affairs training, and organizes mission coverage for her team.
Johnson is a native of Tahiti, French Polynesia and enlisted in the Virginia National Guard in March 2009. She attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as a Motor Transport Operator, and was assigned to the 429th Brigade Support Battalion, based out of Portsmouth, Virginia. Johnson was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn 2011, and Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2013. She reclassed to Public Affairs in 2015 and supported state emergencies such as blizzards and floods, Tajikistan State Partnership Program, and additional events such as Presidential inaugurations.
In 2017, Johnson transferred to the California Army National Guard. She supported in international joint exercises such as Citadel Guibert in France 2017, Rapid Trident in Ukraine 2019, and a series of Public Affairs development with Ukraine through CNG’s State Partnership Program. Johnson supported Operation Guardian Support with the U.S. Border Patrol from 2018-2020 and COVID-19 operations from 2020-2022.
Johnson’s military education includes Basic/Advanced/and Senior Leaders Course, Basic Public Affairs Specialist Course, Electronic Warfare Operator’s course, Unit Movement Officer course, Army Basic Instructor Course, Small Group leader course, and Equal Opportunity Leader certification.
Her awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award), Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (2nd Award), non-Article 5 NATO Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal (3rd Award), Iraq Campaign Medal, Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Medal (3rd Award), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd Award), and Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device.
