MAYVILLE (WKOW) - A motorcade traveled more than fifty miles Friday to bring a fallen soldier back to his hometown. The procession brought the body of Lt. David Johnson from Milwaukee's airport to the town of Mayville where hundreds of his neighbors stood by waiting.
Lt. Johnson's parents traveled all those miles with the motorcade. They never got out of the car they were in but they were on the minds of many in the crowd.
Every parent wants their child to come home with accolade, with honors and with stories of where they've been and what they've achieved.
"I can't even imagine what his parents are even going through," said Renee Smithana, a family friend of the Johnson's.
The Johnson's must know their son's time away meant a lot. Friends and neighbors lined the streets. A trumpet played, to welcome Lt. Johnson back to the small town of Mayville.
"We grew up together," said Mitchell Chamberlin, who says he now lives in Minneapolis.
He came back to the town where he played football in high school and became a leader in his church.
"He was the type of person whenever you saw him you had to be happy with him," said Chamberlin.
Who went on to college and then off to fight a war.
"He was doing what he wanted to do," said Smithana. "He was a man of God and he was out there so the rest of us can keep our freedoms."
And after just a month in Afghanistan, David has a returned a hero.
"I can't express my thankfulness enough for the sacrifice," said Chamberlin. "Whether or not this was a good reason for him to die - it was an honorable way."
Still, every parent would rather their child come home.
"I know they have the hope of seeing him again one day," said Chamberlin.
Saturday, Mayville High School is holding a visitation for Lt. Johnson from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and then onSunday, the memorial service will also be held there at 2 p.m.
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DODGE COUNTY (WKOW) -- First Lieutenant David Johnson of Mayville will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. His funeral arrangements have been set, including visitation and honors in his hometown of Mayville this weekend.
On Friday, February 3 Johnson will arrive at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee at about 9:30 a.m. A motorcade procession will take place along Highway 41. The motorcade will enter Horicon between 10 and 11 a.m. on Main Street Road, travel through downtown Horicon, east on Highway 33 and Lake Street, before turning onto Highway 28 on its way to Mayville.
Once in Mayville the motorcade will continue on Horicon Street and turn onto Main Street. The motorcade will stop for a few minutes in front American Legion Post 69, 134 S. Main Street, where the firing squad will give Johnson military honors. The motorcade will then continue traveling down Main Street before going to Koepsell Funeral Home, 301 N. Walnut Street.
The public is encouraged to line the streets and asked to remain within the city limits and on the sidewalks.
On Saturday, February 4 a visitation for Johnson will be held at Mayville High School, 500 N. Clark Street, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
On Sunday, February 5, a visitation will continue from noon to 2 p.m. At 2 p.m., a memorial service will begin. Two hours later, Johnson will be taken to the Veterans Memorial of Mayville in City Park by the park pavilion, where military rights and honors and the flag folding presentation will take place.
Johnson will buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
The 24-year-old died in action January 25. The news first came from his alma mater, Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, which said Johnson's family gave the school permission to release the news of his death.
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Johnson's death Thursday. The DOD said Johnson was serving in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan when he was killed.
Johnson graduated from college in 2010. He was a platoon leader of the Army's 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division. He had been at a special Veterans Day service at the university last November.
American Legion prepares for Johnson's arrival
