Interview with Maj William W. Johnson

During Major William W. "Whit" Johnson's first deployment to Iraq from January to May 2003, he was attached to the U.S. Marine Corps' 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion, part of Task Force Tripoli, and commanded a company-sized element of air defense variant of the light armored vehicle. He also served as the assistant air officer for 1st LAR. Involved in the initial assault in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Johnson's unit conducted a variety of screening and mobile reconnaissance missions and developed intelligence along the drive north, which ultimately, for them, ended in the city of Tikrit. Before redeploying, he also participated in 1st LAR operations along the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia "because of the potential Wahhabi threat." For his second deployment, which ran from February to September 2004, Johnson served as the operations officer for the 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion (3rd LAAD), which deployed to Iraq as a provisional security battalion. Located on and around Al Asad Air Base, his unit coordinated entry for all personnel requesting admittance to the installation, conducted defensive patrols, and was responsible for exterior security for some 300 square kilometers around the base. According to Johnson, Al Asad had the reputation of being "the hardest base to get onto in all of Iraq."