The 2016 Service Members of the Year are, from left, Staff Sgt. Clifford Crawford, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Brian Dowling, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Samuel Johnson, Lt. Cmdr. Megan Drewniak and Capt. Sachariah Fike.
Chattanooga native Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Samuel Johnson, named Sailor of the Year by the Navy Times, is shown here at the finish of the 2015 Marine Corps Marathon in Quantico, Va.After coming home from several tours in Afghanistan, Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Samuel Johnson had a hard time adjusting.
“I was not connecting like I used to, and I got into some not-too-healthy habits,” said Johnson, who attended Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in nearby Catoosa County, Ga. “Being in health care, I knew it was something I had to change. You deploy and serve in such a communal space where you have dinner with the guy you bunk next to and then you come home and you don’t have that communal activity anymore. It can be hard.”
A couple of years before, Johnson, who also did two tours in Iraq, had attended a 5k road race in the Virginia Beach area where he was stationed and noticed a runner wearing a Team RWB T-shirt and running while carrying an American flag.
“I remember thinking that was cool, but it had to make running harder with all that drag and all,” Johnson said.
A month later, he attended another run and saw more Team RWB T-shirts. His curiosity was piqued.
He went online and discovered that Team Red White & Blue was a support group of mostly military personnel who got together for regular physical and social activities like biking, walking, running and shared meals. He decided to get involved, though he soon learned he’d pretty much seen all the local active Team RWB members at those two races.
Today, in large part because of Johnson’s tireless devotion to the cause, there are 1,400 active RWB members in the Virginia Beach chapter (100,000 members and 180 chapters nationally).
Because of that work, Johnson was named the Military Times Sailor of the Year for 2016. The winners are nominated by a peer and winners are selected by editors at the various publications dedicated to each branch, as well as by Military Times staffers. Officially, Johnson is the Navy Times Soldier of the Year.
Among the new members of the Virginia Beach RWB are Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer Thomas Dewitt and his wife, Megan. Dewitt, who recently retired, was Johnson’s leading chief, which means Johnson recruited his boss for the group.
“We are very thankful to be a part of it, and I was recruited by my own sailor, which I think is a great thing,” said Dewitt. “He’s spreading the love, and it means the future of the Navy is in good hands with young soldiers like Sam.”
Jennifer Machlin, run coordinator for the Virginia Beach RWB chapter, also gives Johnson much of the credit for the chapter’s growth and focus.
“It’s really wonderful what the chapter and the organization does for veterans and the community,” she said. “It is able to impact their lives in a positive manner and Sam has had a huge part to do with it. We wouldn’t be where we are without his inspiration.”
Johnson is quick to defer praise for the rise in member numbers to all the other volunteers who schedule and produce nearly 40 activities a month for the group.
“There are 30 days in a month, so doing the math, a lot of people put in a lot of work for this,” he said.
While the Team RWB organization is dedicated to scheduled activities, Johnson said the real work is done by giving people something to focus on and anticipate. The group is not just open to veterans, he added. Anyone can join and get involved.
“Physical activity is one of the best things for people physically and emotionally, but this also holds people accountable,” he said. “If you say you are going to attend, we make sure you do. I’ve also met a lot of people through this. We have a common bond.”
Team RWB works with other support groups like the Veterans Administration or Give An Hour, a group that pairs vets willing to talk with a veteran in need of someone to speak with.
“I couldn’t tell you where I would be had I not found Team RWB, but I can tell you it would not have been positive,” said Johnson.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 757-6354.