Lieutenant Colonel Mark Johnson

Professor of Military Science

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Johnson assumed command of the UW-La Crosse Eagle Battalion in May 2008. Immediately prior to this assignment he was the executive officer of the 181st Infantry Brigade at Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin. He received his commission from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1986. His assignments include: platoon leader, anti-armor platoon leader, and company executive officer, 2-15 Infantry, 3d Infantry Division, Germany; assistant battalion S-3, commander, D/3-327 Infantry, and commander, HHC/3-327 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division; aide-de-camp to the commanding general, 3d Medical Command; commander, 317th Military History Detachment; operations officer, 2d U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade; and executive officer, 1st Brigade, 70th Division. He has also served as an assistant professor of military science at the University of Wyoming and at Siena College in Loudonville, New York.

LTC Johnson’s military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and Combined Arms & Services Staff School. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Army Management Staff College.

His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster (6th award), Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Southwest Asia Campaign Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal—Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Liberation Medal—Government of Kuwait, Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Superior Unit Award, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Ranger Tab.

An accomplished scholar, LTC Johnson holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Wyoming. He is a doctoral candidate in history at the State University of New York, and has been elected to membership in two national academic honor societies (Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha Theta). His first book, That Body of Brave Men: The U.S. Regular Infantry and the Civil War in the West, was nominated as a finalist for the Army Historical Foundation’s Distinguished Writing Award.

LTC Johnson is married to the former Elyse Howard. They have two children and reside in Sparta, Wisconsin. His hobbies include bicycling, skiing, writing, and boardgames.