Words by Logan Fowler | Image by Al Blanton

Fascinated with history and influenced by his great-grandfather’s military service, Thomas Johnston felt drawn to the uniform long before he was old enough to wear one. When the opportunity came, he enlisted in the Army National Guard at just 17, taking on a level of responsibility uncommon for someone his age.

“I went to Montgomery, took my Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), went through Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS), and got medically certified,” Thomas says. “I raised my right hand, swore in, and from that moment, I was in the Army National Guard.”

Still a junior at Jasper High School when he began basic training, Thomas was suddenly immersed in an environment far removed from ordinary teenage life. The experience challenged him, but it also shaped the discipline and perspective he would carry forward.

“It was very difficult,” he says. “I had to readjust my mindset. Like, ‘Hey, there’s not going to be someone looking over my shoulder to make sure I’m writing with the correct pen.’”

Now in his eighth year of service, Thomas serves as a Staff Sergeant and instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he leads and mentors younger soldiers. The role speaks not only to his experience, but to the kind of leader he has worked to become: offering steadiness, accountability, and care for the people around him.

Service, of course, comes with sacrifice.

“The hardest part is being away from your family,” he says.

Through those challenges, Thomas has leaned on his wife, Dixie, his high school sweetheart.

“She’s always there for me and reminding me that tomorrow’s going to be tomorrow, and to leave the past in the past and focus on the future,” he says.

More than rank or title, Thomas hopes his legacy lies in how he treats others.

“I hope people remember me as a mentor and not someone who was just barking orders,” he says. “I hope they remember me as someone that they could rely on and go to for anything.” 78