Heather Lynn Johnsen is a former U.S. Army soldier and former member of the

3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is ' ...

, best known as the highly prestigious "The Old Guard" or Honor Guard Company sentinel of Company E, 4th Battalion. Johnsen was the first female tomb guard for the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a historic monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a re ...

, a historic US monument at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

which honors the unidentified remains of three combatants from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Early life

Johnsen was raised in Roseville, California and Mt. Diablo, California.

Military service, tomb sentinel

In 1991 after graduating high school, Johnsen joined the

US Army Reserves The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...

, serving as a personnel administrative specialist. In 1992, Johnsen joined the U.S. Army on active duty. She later served as a military police officer in Camp Humphreys,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Fort Monmouth, New Jersey Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, New Jersey, Eatontown, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, O ...

, and

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

. In 1994, the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

ruled that women soldiers could serve on the 24 hour/7 days a week Tomb Sentinel squad for the

, a historic US monument at

which honors the unidentified remains of three combatants from

and the

. That same year, Johnsen joined The Old Guard. She became a military police officer attached to Echo company honor guard, 3rd U.S. Infantry Division. In June 1995, she applied for training as a tomb sentinel. On March 22, 1996, Johnsen became the first female tomb guard. Johnsen was the first woman among the then-389 soldiers who have received the prestigious tomb guard identification badge since its creation in 1958.

Honors

* In 2018, the US Army Women's Hall of Fame inducted Johnsen as a member of its Hall of Fame as part of a group of four female Sentinels at the Tomb of Unknowns.Army Women's Foundation. "2018 Hall Of Fame – Inductees – Female Sentinels at Tomb of Unknowns." "https://www.awfdn.org/hall-of-fame-and-special-recognition-awards/us-army-womens-hall-of-fame-inductees/2018-hall-of-fame-inductees/.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnsen, Heather Lynn Living people People from California Military personnel from California Arlington National Cemetery Year of birth missing (living people)