Sgt. Courtney Tremayne Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in February 1982 and grew up in neighboring Garner, North Carolina. As a young adult, he had been employed at a local community center in Southgate, North Carolina, that was later renamed the Sgt. Courtney T. Johnson Community Center in his honor.

Johnson served with the Marine Corps before he was a soldier in the Army. He enlisted in 2001, completed boot camp and then graduated from Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with the Engineer Maintenance Company of the 2nd Maintenance Battalion. His fellow platoon members called him by the nickname, “CJ.”

When Johnson decided to serve in the Army, he was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was sent to Iraq to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the first phase of the Iraq War, under President George W. Bush.

Johnson was killed in action in July 2007 when his unit came under attack by indirect fire from insurgents in Besmaya, Iraq. He sustained fatal injuries from enemy mortar shrapnel. Johnson had attained the rank of sergeant at the time of his death. He was awarded a Bronze Star medal and a Purple Heart. At the time of his death, he was survived by a fiancée and a one-year-old son. Nine days after he passed, his remains were buried in Raleigh National Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina, following a memorial service.

To post a tribute this Memorial Day for Courtney Tremayne Johnson, please visit the Veterans Legacy Memorial at https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/COURTNEYTREMAYNEJOHNSON/80CC444.

We honor his service.

In 2022, VA is joining forces with Carry The Load to honor veterans during the “Memorial May” March, a national relay visiting 50 VA national cemeteries to honor our nation’s fallen service members. A link to this webpage is here. The complete list of participating cemeteries can be found here. Volunteers are encouraged to register in advance.



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