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DJIBOUTI - Lt. Mary T. Johnson, an intelligence officer assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, was selected as the 2013 Outstanding Junior Naval Reserve Officer of the Year by the Reserve Officer Association.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this fine young officer.” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Grigsby, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa commanding general. “CJTF-HOA is a leadership factory. Lt. Johnson has proved to be an excellent teammate, deserving of this award.”
Johnson was surprised to learn of her selection for the national-level award.
“In my humble opinion, the role of the J.O. is translator and innovator.” said Johnson, when asked what she thought made her a good candidate. “A J.O. should be able to provide the connection to those in their charge between the commander’s 20,000-foot view and each seemingly mundane task. The ability to do this serves as a powerful and effective reminder to those on your team about how everything we do relates to and supports the overall mission – to include taking care of each other and ourselves.”
Johnson recently rotated out of CJTF-HOA, an organization comprised of every branch of the U.S. military, which works alongside the Department of State and partner nations to enable African countries to solve African problems. The task force is headquartered at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, but works side-by-side with African teammates across the Horn of Africa to combat violent extremism and protect U.S. interests in Africa.
Before serving in the Horn of Africa, Johnson served in an array of roles assigned to ships; overseas in Afghanistan, Turkey and Bahrain, and stateside in Washington, D.C., where she completed tours at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon. When not deployed in service to her country, Lt. Johnson is assigned to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center as an operations officer and instructor in the Navy Reserve. For over half of her 11-year career, she served on active duty components, showing her ability to integrate and become an asset in both communities. This award comes just as Johnson is rotating back from a successful deployment to CJTF-HOA.
“I have quotes from Brig. Gen. Grigsby that will serve as mantras for the rest of my career, but he has one that was a hallmark during this tour. As leaders, we are compelled to ‘move to friction so we can move to change.’ I believe his apt and succinctly worded concept captures everything from the macro effects of military operations and the military engagements in the future, to the microcosm of interpersonal dynamics between those working on the team. This is what I found most rewarding about Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa: Seeing how an integrated approach between the Departments of Defense and Department of State, in a combined and joint environment with conventional and Special Operations Forces elements, contributes to enabling our African partners to solve their regional problems.”
Her time as an outstanding junior officer will be short-lived, since she was recently selected for promotion to lieutenant commander. As this will be a culminating award for her time as a junior officer, she reflected on what knowledge she could impart to those just starting out on a military career: “Actively seek knowledge. Often times, young officers hesitate to ask questions out of concern that they will not establish or maintain credibility with their subordinates, peers, and seniors. It’s been my experience that identifying and seeking out clarification and knowledge helps those from whom you’re seeking clarification. Knowing what we know—and don’t know--is critical to individual and team development and mission accomplishment.”
“Solicit feedback from both subordinates and superiors. When you understand a process or action from the perspectives of those who direct it and execute it, you are better positioned to know how to improve it and instill a sense of ownership in it by those who are responsible for it. There is value in knowing the good, the bad, and the ugly: any changes we incorporate in response are more enduring and impactful if we ensure best practices are sustained and negative detractors from mission accomplishment are actively mitigated.”
Johnson will receive her award at the Reserve Officer Association annual conference in Long Beach, California, in July. She plans to return to San Jose, California, remain in the Naval Reserve and pursue further civilian education.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2014 04:29 |
| Story ID: | 132871 |
| Location: | DJIBOUTI, DJ |
| Hometown: | SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 295 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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