[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E53-E54]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BOB JOHNSTON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of my constituents, CWO2 Robert G. Johnston, USA (Retired) who 
retired from The Retired Officers Association last November. In 
connection with his retirement, I had occasion to reexamine Bob's 
biography. I never realized it before but, in one way or another, Bob 
has spent his entire adult life in or working for the military and its 
people.
  Born and raised in Atlanta, GA. Bob entered the Army as a draftee in 
January 1953 and rose through the ranks to the grade of chief warrant 
officer. His enlisted service included tours with the Leadership 
Committee of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA, the First 
Infantry Division at Fort Riley, KS, the Third Infantry at Fort Meyer, 
VA, and two tours with the U.S. Army Special Security Group in the 
Pentagon. He served overseas with the U.S. Embassy in London and the 
Military Assistance Command in Vietnam.
  Upon appointment to warrant officer in the intelligence field in 
1972, he received training in counterintelligence at the Intelligence 
School, Fort Huachuca, AZ. His subsequent service as a warrant officer 
included tours with the Pentagon Counterintelligence Force, as 
executive officer of the 902d Military Intelligence Group and personnel 
officer of the U.S. Army Special Security Group.
  After retiring from the Army in November 1975, Bob joined the Retired 
Officers Association's Placement Service [TOPS] as a placement 
specialist. He assumed the position as Deputy Director in 1978 and 
became Director of TOPS in 1994. Bob's military awards include the 
Bronze Star. Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and Army 
Commendation Medal with Oak leaf Cluster.
  The officer placement service or TOPS as it is called is a unique 
enterprise and it requires a unique individual to run it. In essence, 
it is a job placement service for military officers from all of the 
seven uniformed services who are either retiring or being forced out as 
a result of the current force drawdown. The very heart of this 
operation is Bob Johnston in his 18 years of service as Deputy Director 
and then Director of TOPS, he has worked directly with active duty and 
retired officers and with civilian employers, plus executive search 
firms in assisting officers to find civilian positions for a second 
career. His reputation in this area is legend. In some significant way 
Bob assisted more than 200,000 officers in making a successful 
transition from the service to civilian employment; personally 
critiqued over 14,000 resumes; counseled over 10,000 officers; and 
rewrote the acclaimed ``Marketing Yourself for a Second Career'' 
publication which is distributed to over 50,000 service members 
annually. As the Director of TOPS for the last 2 years, his major 
achievements include the creation of a TOPS Job Bulletin that could be 
accessed from the Internet and thus, has TOPS poised to meet the 
technological challenges of the 21st century; and a significant 
increase in the number of employers and executive recruiters who come 
to TROA looking for TROA members to hire to more than 2,000 firms 
worldwide.

[[Page E54]]

  Mr. Speaker, as a final thought, the word leadership is often applied 
to those who do not deserve it. In Bob Johnston's case, just the 
opposite is true. He was a leader on active duty and in retirement 
continued to be a leader to his fellow officers, showing them how to 
cope with the challenges of a changing world. Bob has been a credit to 
his country, the Retired Officers Association and to the entire retired 
community.
  Bob resides in Springfield, VA, with his wife Elsie. The couple has 
two grown daughters.

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