Johnson, Clifton David

Clifton David Johnson was a 24-year-old U.S. Army sergeant from Ethelsville, Alabama. He served with the 1st Aviation Company, 1st Support Battalion, a unit deployed to the Sinai Peninsula as part of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeeping mission. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, his service also included deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.

Sergeant Johnson died on August 14, 2007, in Eilat, Egypt, a port city on the Red Sea. Official casualty reports from the Department of Defense list his death as 'killed in action,' though specific operational details surrounding the incident in Eilat were not widely disclosed in public releases. The MFO mission in Sinai, separate from but concurrent with the broader War on Terror, has historically involved monitoring the Egypt-Israel border treaty.

Johnson's death occurred during the mid-period of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the U.S.-led military campaign that began in Afghanistan in October 2001. By 2007, insurgent forces like the Taliban had regrouped, leading to a significant increase in violence. That year was one of the deadliest for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, with improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and combat casualties rising sharply.

The Army announced Johnson's death in a press release on August 16, 2007. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried in his home state of Alabama.

Sergeant Johnson is memorialized on online veterans' memorials and in local remembrances in Alabama. His name is inscribed on the Madison County Veterans Memorial. His awards and the circumstances of his service, spanning multiple theaters of the global counterterrorism effort, reflect the geographically dispersed nature of military operations during that era.

Sgt. Clifton Johnson was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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