By Abigail Neugeboren, News Editor
@AbigailNCourant
and Emilia Savini, Features Editor
@ESaviniCourant
On Monday December 22, almost one year after Jeh Charles Johnson was sworn in as the Director of the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Johnson and a number of Secret Service personnel joined the period 1 and 2 Remley/Stevenson American Studies class for an impromptu lecture. Mr. Johnson discussed several topics with the group, such as the Chain of Command within his department, the Presidential line of succession and his involvement in the authorization of drone strikes on Al Qaeda.
Beginning as a private lawyer with a degree from Columbia Law School, Mr. Johnson became the Federal Prosecutor of New York in the 1990’s. Later in his legal career, he was personally asked by Barack Obama to work on his first presidential campaign as a “national security law expert.” Mr. Johnson also noted his involvement in the creation of President Obama’s televised political advertisements and the speeches he wrote for his campaign as well.
Mr. Johnson now presides over approximately 11,000 lawyers in the Department of Defense and works closely with the Secretary of Defense and President Obama. While explaining the ‘Peacetime Chain of Command’ as well as the ‘Military Chain of Command’, Mr. Johnson discussed the roles of the leaders and their contributions to general line of communication.
Ending on a more personal note, Mr. Johnson fondly recalled his time as a junior in high school. With below average grades and the possibility of attending a two-year college after high school, Mr. Johnson’s options looked limited. However, he stressed that everyone is able to meet their full potential by applying themselves. “You’re looking at a Cabinet Officer who never took anything past eleventh grade math,” he said. “I’m a real life example of how you can do anything you want. You have the ability to do more for yourself than you would have ever imagined.”
Stay tuned for the full story, including teacher and student feedback, coming soon.
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