Veteran Salute: Emporia veteran finds adventure in Army service

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Not knowing what he wanted to do after high school, one Emporia native found himself enlisting in the military. 

In this week’s Veteran Salute, we meet a man who joined the Army not only for an education, but in the search for adventure. 

Matt Johnson walked into the army office when he was 18-years-old. He signed up for the infantry and the airborne. Both gave him that adrenaline rush he was after and jumping out of planes led him to some memorable experiences. 

“The only time I had to pull my reserve parachute was because my main parachute didn’t open, and that’s the handle that I showed you earlier,” Johnson said. “So that was from my reserve chute that I was able to pull because my main chute didn’t open, and I ended up in some trees because I overshot the drop zone.”

Johnson’s time in the Army means a lot to him as it is part of the reason he is who he is today. 

“It’s just a part of me,” Johnson said. “It’s my every day, whether it’s waking, waking up early, the discipline in work to make the calls that I don’t want to make and get through the work that is not the most glamorous or most desirable, whether that be phone calls or paperwork, it’s easier just to push through because of what I went through when I was younger and in the Army.”

Johnson still puts his Army discipline to work in Emporia where he works as a realtor and as an insurance agent. 

If you know a veteran you would like to nominate and showcase, email veterans@ksnt.com.

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