Posted in FB by Midshipman John Monroe Johnson's parents. Thought it would be appropriate to share here given Mr. Johnson gave permission to share with our Mids. Prayers for the Johnson family.
A quick post-script - if you have a mid at USNA now that would like to read this, please share it with them.
Dear Navy family,
We are John David Johnson and Kim Graham Johnson, the father and mother of MIDN John Monroe Johnson. We (and our entire extended family) would like to thank you for the incredible kindness and heartfelt grief you have shared with us these past few days.
John Monroe was an exceptional person, the oldest of five amazing brothers, a dutiful and loving son, and person with a heart for service. He died on Monday night in a pool with three feet of water from cardiac arrest. He had finished a great day of skiing with his high school friends, and died engaging in a breath holding exercise, competing against himself, in which his mind’s immense willpower ultimately exceeded his body’s capabilities. We need men and women like this in the world. Even in his mistakes, he showed the type of person he was. He spent hundreds of hours in the water. The week before the Army/Navy game he completed his first triathlon.
At the Academy, John Monroe excelled, challenging himself with his head up, spotting opportunities and accepting the challenge they offered. He walked onto the crew team as a Plebe with no rowing experience. He challenged himself physically continually and was one of the few Mids select to attend the Marine Basic Reconnaissance Primer Course. He was working hard to an ultimate service selection goal that he achieved. Simultaneously, he worked hard on his academics, ultimately securing a spot through his hard work as a Trident Scholar. We tell you these things simply to show that he had an incredible work ethic and an incredible passion for life; a drive to succeed that we have not often seen in others. He was not perfect but even in his imperfection, he continually showed the character of a great man.
John Monroe loved his friends with a passion, whether from high school or in his Navy family. We know the USNA has shared a nice obituary for him but we thought we would share that he was an incredible son and brother. We knew him well before he arrived. From the time I was small my father would tell me some day I will have a son and name him John. I loved him before I saw him, as did my wife, and we love him now that we can longer see him. He fundamentally changed how we viewed children. John Monroe was so special that he gave us the confidence to be parents to four other wonderful boys and gave Kim the desire to take a break in her medical career to be with the boys.
In Pittsburgh, John Monroe loved the things that many boys do, football and vigorous play, cartoons, running and wrestling with his brothers. Kim fostered a love for music in John Monroe, and he became an accomplished violinist with beautiful hands designed for music. She took him weekly to the Amadeus youth orchestra with his brothers who also played violin to share in the joy of music with his fellow musicians. As an athlete, I had the privilege to coach him in football. He was an incredible teammate who continually put the team’s needs consistently above his own. He played strong safety most often and was pound for pound the strongest hitter I ever coached. He had the fearlessness of a lion and if you know strong safeties, you’ll understand. He was cerebral and a student of the game. When the game ended he’d want to know what he could improve, focusing on missed tackle or some other minor error that he could learn from to be the best athlete and teammate he could be. He was a person of great talent, but what truly set him apart was his amazing work ethic and his humility in light of his many accomplishments.
Other parents tell us they loved John Monroe because he was mature, respectful and kind, the type of child you enjoy having in your home and you love having as a friend for your child. As the oldest of five, he was a pseudo-father, changing diapers, feeding his brothers, bathing them, caring for them, helping to carry the family load from an incredibly young age. As John Monroe prepared to enter high school, we as a family took a leap of faith and moved to North Carolina so that Kim could restart her medical career. As his mother re-entered residency in her 40s, John Monroe continued to carry the load in the household continually serving as a pseudo-father to his younger brothers. He did not complain about his life being up ended but supported his mother because of his immense love for her.
From his friends, we know John Monroe showed them the same type of love, the same type of parenting, the same type of care. We were sad at first that we would never see him become a father but we know in many ways, he already experienced this through his relationship with his brothers and through his friendship and mentorship of others, especially his Navy family.
We have had a chance to be with John Monroe in Utah, to see him, to touch him, to talk with him even though he is no longer there. We believe that is the next phase of his life, a phase we do not understand or comprehend, but one in which he is part of the vine of God. Kim said that he was a leader for us in life and now he is leader for our family in whatever next phase that we all ultimately will experience.
Words cannot describe the soul-aching despair that we personally felt when the police came to our door on early Tuesday morning. But in the past few days, we have quite literally felt the love of family, friends, and complete strangers whose thoughts and prayers have lifted us and enabled us to put one foot in front of the other, taking the small steps back toward happiness. We now fully know the agony of other families such as the Watsons, an agony we would wish on nobody else ever. I personally look at those families and regard them in such awe because at my lowest, I could not see a path forward without our wonderful firstborn.
For those interested in honoring John Monroe, we met with the medical team at Intermountain Park City Hospital that tried to save him. Their professionalism, kindness and candor was amazing. They grieved with us and left no doubt in our minds that every effort was made to save John Monroe. Their team without reserve walked us through every single detail of their extraordinary efforts to save him. We would be honored if you showed your love for John by supporting the place that tried so hard to save him. You can donate via this link and select that box that says the gift is made as a memorial gift at which point, you can list John’s name.
https://secure3.convio.net/ihchs/site/Donation2?1582.donation=form1&df_id=1582&mfc_pref=T
Should you wish to speak directly with their development director, please contact Matthew Broadbent at 801.386.3385, or
matt.broadbent@imail.org
We need your continued thoughts, prayers and support. We have a long road ahead of us but our goal is to live our life fully in happiness with John Monroe’s four wonderful and equally amazing brothers, all while remembering and honoring the legacy of our oldest son.
. My heart breaks for his family and friends.
