SGT Joseph Graham USMC returns home Sunday 12 June 2011 after 7 month deployment in Afghanistan. As his father-in-law Parley Phillip Johnson, Jr. says, “Praise the Lord!” SGT Graham has served as a forward observer with Fire Control Team 5, Supporting Arms Liaison Team Chuck, 2nd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. He and his task force, “[monitor] ... for insurgent activity... Marines with 2nd Radio Battalion, Task Force Belleau Wood, supply units... with indications and warning of insurgent activity.” This quote and photo at right are re-printed from a 7 May 2011 article on the official website of the U.S. Marine Corps. If you want to know what that means - to get a glimpse into what it’s like for these Marines - read this article. (Photo of SGT Graham at right is in that article, also.)

SGT Graham, “Joey”, will be welcomed home by his wife Callie Elizabeth (Johnson) Graham and son Kaden Michael Graham at Camp Lejune, Jacksonville, NC. Callie and Kaden Graham put up the Welcome Home sign at right at the main gate of Camp Lejune, NC.
 
Callie Elizabeth and Kaden Michael are the daughter and grandson of Parley Philip and Callie Gail Johnson, and granddaughter and great-grandson of Uncle Philip and Aunt Christine.


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We are very proud to announce this news just in from Parley Philip Johnson, Jr.... his son Luke McIntyre Johnson was promoted to (E5)  SGT of Marines on 1 May 2011! Family members may recall that Luke recently served as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan. He returned to Camp Pendleton, CA on 10 November 2010 and came home on a well-deserved Christmas furlough 11 December 2010.

Luke is the son of Parley Philip, Jr. and Callie Gail Johnson and grandson of Parley Philip, Sr. and Edith Christine Fail Johnson (Uncle Philip and Aunt Christine). Family members can send their love and congratulations for Luke to Parley and Callie Gail at parley(at)fairpoint(dot)net.

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CPL Luke McIntyre Johnson, with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division, returned to Camp Pendleton, California on 10 November 2010 after a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was able to come home on furlough in December. Several of the Birmingham Johnson clan had a wonderful “mini-reunion” with Luke as he came through Birmingham on Saturday, 11 December 2010 on his way from Camp Pendleton, CA home to Paxton, FL. Dad Parley Philip, Jr. came to Birmingham to meet him and bring him home for the Christmas holidays. At the airport were his Great Uncle Wylie Pierson Johnson, cousins Melanie Fay Johnson, Kellet Carmichael, Lillian “Lillie” Carmichael and Joshua May, Orson L. “Pete”, Mary Jean and William Seth Johnson, and, of course, father Parley Philip Johnson, Jr.. Luke and Parley Philip went with Uncle Wylie out to “Pawland”, Uncle Wylie’s property on the Cahaba River in Bibb County for a little while before Luke and Parley got on the road. As Luke returned to Camp Pendleton after Christmas, Melanie Fay hosted a lovely family dinner party at Carmichael Hall in Vestavia. Here are some of the photos made during his visit. It was so great to see Luke safe and sound!!
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Whoo hoooo and thank the Lord!!! This just in from CPL Luke McIntyre Johnson’s father and mother, Parley Philip, Jr. and Callie Gail Johnson:

Luke is in the USA in route to Camp Pendleton, CA should be there by 5 PM California time ( 7 PM Alabama Time )... Praise the Lord for his safe return, thanks to all for your continued thoughts and prayers while Luke was deployed to AFGHANISTAN for the past 7 months.

Sincerely,

Parley P. Jr. & Callie Gail

Luke is with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division. The photo here is a recent UPI photo of Luke that was in the news. The caption read, “Marines patrol In bazaar of Hazar Joft in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan on August 8, 2010.”

Also, see the article about Luke’s furlough trip home to Paxton, FL at Christmas!


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UPDATE 10/18/10! Parley Philip shared an update on his military family. As you may know BOTH of his sons AND his son-in-law are serving overseas in the Marines. Here is the latest...

He [Parley Philip and Gail’s son Luke McIntyre Johnson] has done well in Afghanistan over the past 7 months. We will sleep better when he gets back to the states in November…

Parley Philip III “Tracy” is now assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines where he is attached to the USMC Security Guard Detachment.

Our son-in-law Sgt. Joey Graham USMC is set to deploy to Afghanistan on 14 November with the USMC 2nd ANGLICO from Camp Lejune, NC. He will be there 7 months as a forward observer.

Thank you for sharing this, Parley. WOW! Few U.S. families have given so much for their country!

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U.S. citizens can feel safer when one of the Johnson clan is on patrol. CPL Luke McIntyre Johnson is doing just that. He is deployed with the 1st Marine Division in Afghanistan. Recently, this photo of Luke made the UPI news wire. The caption reads, “Marines patrol In bazaar of Hazar Joft in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan on August 8, 2010.” The UPI photo was made by Hossein Fatemi. Click “Read more” below to see this photo enlarged. See the photo on the UPI at:
http://www.upi.com/enl-win/6d788840eb98bbf37626bbd1ef2725b7/

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The children of Parley (Parley Philip , Jr.) and Callie Gail Johnson continue to serve their country honorably. They follow in their father’s footsteps as proud members of the United States Marine Corps. ...



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