SOC22- Jason Johns- "Humor & Horror"

Jason served in the WI Army National Guard and United States Army Reserves from 1994-2002. In February 2003 his Army National Guard unit, the 229^th Combat Support Engineers, were mobilized for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He voluntarily left his civilian life as an attorney and re-enlisted to join them during their active duty combat tour with the 4th Infantry Division, returning home in May 2004.

Johns’s unit base camped outside of Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit and ran convoy missions, force protection assignments, roadside checkpoints, IED sweep and detection missions, forward operating base establishment and build -ups, as well as infantry and MP patrol support. Their area of operation spanned the Sunni insurgent enclaves of Tikrit, Samarra, Balad, Baqubah and at times over to the mountainous region bordering Iran in the east. On the morning of 26 Oct 2003, while assuming control of a checkpoint north of Samarra, Johns and a fellow squad member were wounded by the detonation of an anti-tank land mine planted by enemy forces. Johns was sent to a field hospital for blast but was able to remain in country and after adequate recovery time at base camp he completed his tour of duty in April 2004, earning a Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge, Army Commendation Medal, War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and the Armed Forces Reserves Medal with an “M” for meritorious service.

Jason grew up in Louisburg, WI as the oldest of five siblings and graduated from Southwestern High School in Hazel Green in May 1994. He earned his B.A. in History from the University of Northern Iowa in May 1998 where he was an active player on the UNI Men’s Rugby Team. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate with an international law certificate from Hamline University School of Law in May 2001. After completing his education he practiced law in Washington, D.C. before returning home to Wisconsin to pursue an opportunity working in the Wisconsin State Legislature in December 2002.

 In the years since his return from Iraq, Jason has worked in state government relations and lobbying, eventually being appointed in to the cabinet of Governor Scott Walker as the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs from 2011-13. In 2013 he established his own firm, Wisconsin Legislative Strategies, Inc. He has served for years as commander of his local VFW Post, National Judge Advocate for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, U.S.A., and represents the MOPH and VFW in Wisconsin as their pro-bono lobbyist where has helped write and usher through dozens of pieces of legislation benefitting his fellow veterans.

In 2014 Jason created a veterans benefits law entity, N.M.L.B. Veterans Advocacy Group where he represents his brothers and sisters with their appeals in front of the VA’s Board of Veterans Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington, D.C.

Jason’s service continues as he was an instrumental member of the Fundraising committee to bring Wisconsin’s first Fisher House to the Zablocki VA medical center in Milwaukee, serves on the boards of the University of Wisconsin’s Law School’s Veterans Legal Clinic, Camp Ryan Adams, Hogs for Heroes of Wisconsin, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association and founded the Purple Heart Riders of Wisconsin. He is also a senior associate with the Wounded Warriors in Action and works with the leadership of Wounded Warriors Weekend-Canada in organization of their annual event.

 

Jason lives outside of Madison, WI with his wife of 11 years, Carin, and their three young children, twins Abby and Ellie (8) and son William (5).