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EIVIND JOHANSEN Obituary


JOHANSEN EIVIND H. JOHANSEN "Ivy" March 7, 1927 - December 19, 2012 Lieutenant General Eivind H. Johansen passed away peacefully on December 19, 2012. He was born on March 7, 1927 in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from high school in Port Arthur, Texas in June, 1945 and immediately entered the Army as a buck private. He was given basic training and transferred to Italy and quickly attained the rank of staff sergeant at age 19. He served in the Infantry and Ordnance Corps. He returned to civilian life in January 1947 to continue his education at Texas A & M University. At A & M he was an honor student, active in athletics and student affairs, and won a Regular Army commission as a Second Lieutenant, Quartermaster Corps, upon graduation in June 1950. Following graduation General Johansen was detailed to Field Artillery, spending the next two years as a battery officer with the 5th Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, in Germany. Returning to his basic branch in July 1952, he held staff assignments with Headquarters, US Army Europe; the 1st School Regiment, Fort Lee, Virginia; Headquarters, Eighth US Army, Korea; and Headquarters, Armed Forces Far East, Japan. Subsequent to his tour in Japan, he continued to hold positions of increasing importance and responsibility. As a Major in the Office of the Quartermaster General in Washington (1960-61), he directed a special task force that analyzed integrated management capabilities of the military services, resulting in the assignment of the General Supplies Single Management to the Army. Later he served as the junior member of a high level multi-service planning group that developed the initial DoD concept for integrated management under the Defense Supply Agency (DSA) and participated in the organization of that Agency. After establishment of DSA in January 1962, General Johansen remained with the Agency until entering the Army Command and General Staff College in August 1962. Following graduation from the Army Command and General Staff College, General Johansen departed for duty with Headquarters, US Army, Alaska, where he served as G-4 Plans Officer and subsequently as Chief, Plans and Programs Division. Returning from Alaska in May 1966, he was assigned as Commanding Officer, 5th Supply and Transport Battalion, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson, Colorado. He remained in that assignment until selected to attend the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, in August 1967. From the Naval War College he returned to Washington, D.C., as a Joint Staff Officer, Operations Divisions, J-4, Joint Chiefs of Staff. While on the joint staff he was responsible for planning a new logistic line of communications for wartime support of US Forces in NATO and for the preparation of related country-to-country agreements between the United States and foreign governments. In December 1969, General Johansen departed the joint staff for Vietnam to command the 593rd General Support Group. For its efforts the Group received the Meritorious Unit Citation. In June 1970, he was reassigned in Vietnam to head the G-4 Supply Division at Army headquarters where he was responsible for all facets of equipment retrograde and redeployment programs. Following his Vietnam duty, General Johansen was assigned in December 1970 to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, the Pentagon, where he served successively as Special Assistant to the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Chief of the Supply Distribution Division, and later-upon promotion to General Officer in July 1972-as Deputy Director for Supply and Maintenance. In these positions he became the Army's logistic expert on redeployment of US Forces from Vietnam and in the Vietnamization logistic programs. During this period he also headed an Army negotiation team to Seoul to develop a Memorandum of Agreement with the Korean Ministry of National Defense concerning redeployment of their forces from Vietnam. Subsequently, this agreement became the official United States position concerning logistic aspects of Korean redeployment. In December 1972, General Johansen became Director of Supply, Headquarters, US Army Material Command, Alexandria, Virginia. In this capacity he developed a new worldwide distribution system for the Army. In August 1975, he was appointed Commanding General, US Army Aviation Systems Command, St. Louis, Missouri. While at the Aviation Systems Command, he served as Chairman of the Board that recommended to the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of defense the selection of the developmental Advanced Attack Helicopter (Apache) and the UTTAS (Blackhawk) as the Army's principle aircraft weapons systems through the year 2000. Also during this tour, the readiness of the Army aircraft was raised to the highest level in the history of the Army. In August 1977, General Johansen was designated the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Department of the Army, the youngest general officer ever to serve in that position. As the Army's top logistician he instituted the Air Lines of Communication for both Europe and Korean and spearheaded a new system for restoring effective property accountability worldwide. General Johansen retired in June 1979 culminating a distinguished career spanning from Private to Lieutenant General. Upon his military retirement in June 1979, General Johansen assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH). General Johansen's interest in people with severe disabilities dated back to the early 1960's when he was appointed to the President's Committee for Purchase from the Blind and Other Severely Handicapped, the agency responsible for implementing the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act. During General Johansen's tenure NISH grew from employing a few hundred people to over 400 work centers in 50 states employing 20,000 persons with severe disabilities. During his 13 years of service to thousands of Americans with severe disabilities, he received numerous awards and tributes for his professionalism and leadership, including recognition from three Presidents, Congress and the disability community. In 1985, General Johansen was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas A & M University, the highest honor bestowed upon former students of Texas A&M University. General Johansen attended graduate school at George Washington University, receiving his Master of Science Degree in International Affairs in 1968. He was a graduate of the Army Procurement Course and the Quartermaster Officers Basic and Advanced courses at Fort Lee, Virginia; the DoD Computer Institute, Washington, D.C.; the Automation Course for Senior Managers, Ft Belvoir, Virginia; the Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas; the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island; and the Advanced Management Program, Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Pittsburgh and post graduate work at Harvard Business School. Surviving are his devoted wife of 62 years, Dolores, his son, Chris Johansen, and his wife, Michelle of Anchorage, Alaska and daughter, Jane Johansen and her husband, Chris Sheaffer of Charlotte, NC and Charlottesville, VA. Three grandchildren and a great granddaughter survive him: Christie Johansen of Seattle, Washington, David Sheaffer and his wife, Carly, and their daughter, Adalyn, of Lynchburg, Virginia and Lauren Johansen of Anchorage, Alaska. The family wishes to express their great sense of comfort in seeing and knowing the best professional, tender, loving care was given to Ivy during his illness at the Our Lady of Peace, Christopher Center, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The services will be at Fort Myer Memorial Chapel on Monday, March 4, 2013 at 12:45 followed by the burial with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Army Emergency Relief, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332 or the Alzheimer's Association (Research Division) of the Central and Western Virginia Chapter, 1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 306, Charlottesville, VA 22901.

Published by The Washington Post on Jan. 6, 2013.
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3 Entries

I'll miss you so much uncle Ivy.

Andrea Lehmann

January 20, 2013

I started working for AVSCOM and Gen. Johansen in 1977. He was a nice man and a good leader. May God surround his family with His infinite love, mercy, grace and peace, and comfort them.
Rick Stream
MO State Representative

Eric "Rick" Stream

January 7, 2013

As the days and weeks pass, and as you return to life's routine, may you continue to feel comforted by the love and support of family and friends.

Larry, Debbie & Erik Thompson

January 7, 2013

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