SGT BRIAN JOHNSTON

Coventry, CT

Mission Accomplished on Dec. 15, 2007

On Nov. 8, 2004, Marine Sergeant Brian Johnston was on his first deployment when he lost his right arm and right leg in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Fallujah, Iraq. While on a routine mission, Sgt Johnston, a rifleman with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, was critically injured when the IED exploded near his position. Airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, Sgt Johnston was later transported to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he endured six weeks of surgeries and treatments before being transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he remained for almost two years.

Brian received the keys to his specially adapted custom Homes For Our Troops home on Dec. 15, 2007. When asked if he would like to say anything to those who helped make his home a reality Brian said, “The house is awesome! I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped get me here to where I am today and helped me move forward where I can focus on my future.”

Brian used to be the owner and operator of Organically Grown, which were indoor gardening stores located in Cranston, R.I., and Old Saybrook, Conn. The stores closed in 2015.