U.S. Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson’s funeral to take place on Saturday

NOTE TO EDITOR: PER FAMILY’S REQUEST, MEDIA WILL NOT BE ALLOWED INSIDE THE CHURCH

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – The funeral for fallen soldier La David T. Johnson of Miami Gardens will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Christ The Rock Church, 11000 Stirling Rd., in Cooper City. The internment will take place immediately after the funeral at Fred Hunter’s Hollywood Memorial Gardens cemetery, 6301 Taft St. in Hollywood. At 8 a.m., the body will be escorted by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Miami-Dade Police from Fred Hunter’s Funeral Home, 6301 Taft St. in Hollywood to the church. Following the funeral service, the procession will proceed back to Fred Hunter’s Hollywood Memorial Gardens for the internment. The procession will proceed east on Stirling Rd to University Drive, then south on University Drive to Taft Street, then east on Taft Street to the east cemetery entrance. The Hollywood fire department will fly an American flag at the entrance of cemetery as the procession goes by. Members of the public who wish to attend the funeral are asked to respect the family’s wishes not to bring cameras inside the church.
 
Johnson died on October 4 while fighting alongside Green Berets when Islamic militants ambushed them Oct. 4 near the Niger border with Mali. Johnson was a 25-year-old member of the 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, N.C. He is survived by his wife Myeshia Johnson, who is six months pregnant, and two children.
 
“Sgt. Johnson made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. He is a hero and he will never be forgotten,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who serves as Chairman of the Miami-Dade Military Affairs Board. Commissioner Diaz and members of the Miami-Dade Military Affairs Board will be attending the funeral.
 
Johnson's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Parachutist Bade, the Driver and Mechanic Badge and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge. He also participated in operations with the Canadian Armed Forces and received Canadian Parachutist Wings.
 
The 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project has established a scholarship fund to benefit Sgt. Johnson’s children by providing money toward their college education. The public is encouraged to support the fund by visiting www.gofundme.com/sgt-la-david-johnson-scholarship.
 
 
ROUTE FROM FUNERAL HOME:
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, the body will be escorted by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Miami-Dade Police from Fred Hunter’s Funeral Home, 6301 Taft St. in Hollywood, to the church. West on Taft Street to University Drive, then north on University to Stirling Road and then west on Stirling to the church’s entrance at 110th Avenue.
 
 
ROUTE FROM CHURCH TO CEMETERY:
Following the funeral service, the procession will proceed back to Fred Hunter’s Hollywood Memorial Gardens for the internment. The procession will proceed east on Stirling Rd to University Drive, then south on University Drive to Taft Street, then east on Taft Street to the east cemetery entrance.