KDRV Staff
 
October 28, 2009
 
MADRAS, Ore. -- A soldier from Madras is recovering after being seriously hurt in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan.
 
19-year-old Private First Class Alex Johnson's vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device Friday. The IED killed two soldiers and seriously injured three others, contributing to the deadliest month in Afghanistan since the beginning of the war in 2001.
 
Johnson is expected to make a full recovery after breaking his back in three places and both of his legs. He underwent surgery at the Army hospital near Washington D.C.
 
"He was in surgery this morning for his legs, I haven't heard yet how that came out, but they are expecting a full recovery, and (him) walking again," Johnson's cousin Amber Sanders said.
 
Johnson joined the Army following his graduation from Madras High School in 2008, where he was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps for all four years. He became the youngest certified first responder in the state of Oregon in 2006, and was named the Emergency Medical Services Volunteer of the Year in 2007 while volunteering for Jefferson County Emergency Services.
 
Johnson's parents and brother are currently with him in Washington D.C. Johnson had been in Afghanistan since March.