William "Bj" Johnson:
CLASS OF 1975
Peekskill Middle SchoolClass of 1975
Peekskill, NY
Peekskill High SchoolClass of 1979
Peekskill, NY
W.W. Niles Middle School 118Class of 1976
Bronx, NY
William "Bj"'s Story
Well, well, well, where do we start... I started off on this tale some time ago, but I got distracted after much contemplation and then blanked out - literally! LOL All that I had jotted down got wiped out and... So here we are again... After my return to the big City-NYC, life began somewhat anew... I settled back into life in NYC and set upon getting myself back in step with life therein. I missed the simpler life of living in Peekskill, the support network, friends and family there, but that was then, and I had to restart my life. I went to school, was the big brother, and set out to make plans for myself and a future to come. I was fortunate to make many new friends through school and from the neighborhoods that I frequented and resided in. I renewed old acquaintances, formed new ones, and therein met my first wife Marilyn. We were an odd couple, somewhat, but we came together at a time when we were both looking towards the prospects of the future, and making our way in life, as we understood it. I set upon a path of joining the military even before I was able to speak for myself. Didn't matter though, I saw it as a way out of the big city, and a way to make and set my path in life, so... I did school from 1975 until I tired in 1977, so I opted for a GED, Vocational Certificate in Basic Electro-Mechanical Theory, and joined the military in 1978. I waited until my 18th birthday in 1979 before leaving, wanted to sign my own life away, and so I did. After the Basics and all I returned to NYC before my first assignment - England, overseas, and married Marilyn. We were on our way, and leaving the big city life behind, and all that the years had bestowed upon us... My tour lasted for (3) three years, we were 120 miles round trip from London, and we were far from the reaches of big city life as we saw it, but most importantly, we were living out of life's dreams... By 1981 we had our first child, a sweet baby girl we named Sharise, and we were parents... My tour in Europe was coming to a close, and having garnered all the skills, and then some, needed to maintain my level of expertise in my field, I was ready for bigger and better things. My next assignment was to SAC HQ on Offutt AFB in Omaha Nebraska... My skills had brought me much acclaim and to a most prestigious point in my miliotary career. Here I represented the HQ of (3) three fields -Logistics, and Communications on (2) two fronts... The titles were HQ/LGS, HQ/AFCC, and HQ/SCD, the latter became Space Command, and move...Expand for more
d to Colorado... By now it was 1983, my first tour was coming to an end, our second child came to us, we named her Angela, and I was making plans, once again, for the future... I opted not to continue with my current assignment and move to Colorado - don't really like the cold, so I opted for warmer climates as I had done so throughout my career, but this time I got it. I reenlisted, followed onward to Texas, where I've been ever since, and settled in Ft Worth. My first marriage was coming apart by then, and so I made plans towards an uncertain future. My second wife had my third baby girl nearing the end of 1983, and we named her Markeita. We married in 1984, joined families, her, I, our son Roderick and our daughter Markeita. and so we made our way together in life as best we could... In the meantime, my baby boy came to join and bless our family in 1985, and we named him Casimir. He joined our then family of (4) four, at the time making our third child, and life continued very well as such until 1987 when I got tired of the military, and them I, well, only certain factions, but nevertheless...My wife was from Houston, and so we relocated thereafter... The times weren't the best for a former military person, and the oil boom was in a quandry, so readjusting took some time for me, and it wasn't all good. For the next several years I literally had to find, and redefine myself, for life after the military wasn't proving to go well for me here, and for the first time since joining the ranks I found myself not able to make things happen for myself and my family, no matter what I tried or did. The toll was hard, and took too much from and out of my marriage, and so it dissolved, and so did I... The plans for my life had taken such an unexpected turn that I found myself very lost and alone, and very powerless... It would take me, literally, until 1993 to turn things around, for the mire of my life was so set and thick until then, and it wasn't an easy process... It would take me until 1996 for the madness to be undone, but the journey was much needed... Today, I'm a much better person, I believe, for all the trials and experiences I've gone through. The Serenity Pray has been a Godsend to and for me, and in today I try to make the best of each and every day, do good rather than harm, and to try to help those less fortunate, and know that if but for God's grace it could STILL be me... Well, that's it for now, until I care to revise and revisit such matters of life again, Peace to All
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