Father proud of Afghan blast soldier
Death toll in month rises to 13
Published:
THE father of a British soldier killed by a mine explosion in Afghanistan spoke today of his pride in his son.
Lance Corporal James Johnson, 31, of B Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was part of a vehicle checkpoint patrol operating in the Lashkar Gar area when he died in the blast on Saturday.
L/Cpl Johnson was born in Scotland but grew up in Chatham, Kent.
His father, Lawrence Johnson, said today: “I am very proud of my son for being a soldier. It was his life. He always wanted to be in the Army since he was a small boy. He loved it.”
June has been a devastating month for British troops in Afghanistan with the second highest death toll in a month since operations there began.
The death of L/Cpl Johnson took the number of fatalities this month to 13.
It is the worst loss of life for British troops since September 2006 when 19 servicemen died, 14 of them when a Nimrod MR2 aircraft crashed.
L/Cpl Johnson, who was engaged, was attending to a report of an attack on a civilian aircraft when an anti-personnel mine detonated, killing him instantly.
His death takes to 110 the number of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in November 2001.
His partner, Bernadette Broadley, said: “He was my best friend and my fiance. I am very, very proud of him being a brave soldier.”
L/Cpl Johnson, who was known as Jimmy, joined the 1st Battalion the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1997.
He served with the Close Observation Platoon in Belfast from 2001 to 2003 before qualifying as a Sniper Section Commander.
He served on a tour of Bosnia in 2005 and later with the Heavy Machine Gun Platoon before transferring to B Company for Op Herrick 8 in Afghanistan.
His Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel David Richmond, said: “L/Cpl Johnson has made the ultimate sacrifice.
“A superb soldier and junior commander, he died doing the job he loved, among men who held him in the highest regard.”
L/Cpl Johnson also leaves behind his mother Connie and a daughter, Shannon.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said: “L/Cpl James Johnson was a highly respected, talented and committed soldier who, along with all of the brave men and women we have deployed on operations, was making a vital contribution to defending our country.”
