WASHINGTON (February 21, 2008) -- Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Johnson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deputy commanding general, received the Black Engineer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award during the 22nd annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference on Feb. 16 in Baltimore.
Since 1986, the conference and the associated awards ceremony have recognized the outstanding achievements of African-Americans in companies across America, according to BEYA officials.
"I am humbled by this award, but considering its title - with all due respect, I still have a lot left to add ... You ain't seen nothing yet," said Johnson during his acceptance speech.
Johnson, a Chicago native, was commissioned as an engineer officer from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in June 1976. He has held a variety of positions during his 32-year career including: director of the U.S. Army Installation Management Agency; dual-hatted as the commanding general of the Corps' Gulf Region Division and as the U.S. deputy director to the Program Management Office, Coalition Provisional Authority, Baghdad, Iraq; and commanding general of the Corps' Pacific Ocean Division, Hawaii.
"He played a shaping role in the future of Iraq as the commanding general of the Gulf Region Division, headquartered in Baghdad ... building clinics, schools, roads, pipelines, and power distribution systems. And he was the first African-American to serve as the Army's senior engineer in the Asia-Pacific region," said Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, Chief of Engineers and Commander of the Corps.
In addition to the lifetime achievement award, Johnson is also the recipient of the 2003 Black Engineer of the Year Award for Professional Achievement in Government Service.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is comprised of approximately 34,000 civilian and 600 military employees, who serve the Armed Forces and the Nation by providing vital public engineering services and capabilities across the full spectrum of operations - from peace to war - in support of national interests.
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