Arifjan Soldier recognized for exceeding the standard

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fernandez | Spc. Edward Johnson, a human resources specialist at U.S. Army Central Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, runs during the Sexual Assault Awareness month 5k race April 9. Johnson, the fourth of seven children in his family, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Franciscan University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. The Nikiski, Alaska native attributes his success as a Soldier to his upbringing.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

07.11.2016

Story by Sgt. Jonathan Fernandez 

U.S. Army Central   

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – The 26-year-old Soldier received a verbal counseling. His offense: working too hard.
Spc. Edward Johnson, a human resources specialist at U.S. Army Central Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, was recognized as USARCENT’s Soldier of the Week July 30 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
“Since I’ve known him, he’s had to do the job that three or four other people would normally do,” said Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Boltz, the senior human resources specialist at USARCENT HHBN. “He would work all day if I let him.”
Johnson, a Nikiski, Alaska native, attributes his success as a Soldier to his upbringing, he said.
“I was raised in a house of seven children,” said Johnson. “I was homeschooled through high school and then went to college.”
Johnson, the fourth of seven kids, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Franciscan University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. A reenlistment ceremony recently highlighted his first three years in the Army. Brig. Gen. David P. Glaser, USARCENT’s chief of staff, administered the oath of enlistment and spoke during the ceremony.
“My favorite picture of this young man was seeing him in a two-piece suit for the SHARP run,” said Glaser, “saying that he ‘wanted to look sharp for it.’”
Johnson’s hard-work and humor were echoed by his leaders.
“I can’t wait until his Officer Candidate School packet is approved,” said Sgt. Dennis Porter, an S-1 sergeant at USARCENT HHBN. “He works very hard. I know he was given a verbal warning at one point for working eight to nine hours a day on the weekends, [his days off].”
Johnson said that is normal.
“I don’t see anything wrong with working all the time,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me. It motivates me to know that what I do affects USARCENT.”
He does the job of three people, if he is the only one in the office, because the work needs to get done anyways, said Johnson. “It might as well be me.”
“I wake up every day knowing that what I do supports the USARCENT mission,” he said, “I enjoy doing it.”

• Date Taken: 07.11.2016
• Date Posted: 07.11.2016 07:19
• Story ID: 203574
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW
• Hometown: NIKISKI, AK, US