‘We should never forget’: Ambitious NC 9-year-old raises money for Pearl Harbor Memorial
As a third-grader, Harrison Johnson became uncommonly interested in Pearl Harbor, so much that he’d bring up the infamous attack while playing with neighbor kids in Raleigh.
They’d all ask him, “What’s that?”
Harrison’s father, Clinton Johnson, flew C-17s for the Air Force, so he brought some background to the story. Also as a 9-year-old, Harrison had often heard war stories about the Tuskegee Airmen.
But his curiosity turned to obsession once he chose Hawaii for his third-grade project, poring over pictures of the USS Arizona, reading survivors’ biographies and — after much coaxing — persuading his family to fly to Hawaii for a quick visit.
“It wasn’t like we were on the beach,” said his mother, Cheznee Johnson. “We landed, spent the day at the memorial, and flew right back. He was over the moon.”
Memorial Day fundraiser
Soon after, Harrison decided to raise money for the Pearl Harbor memorial fund, deciding his own allowance money wasn’t sufficient for a gift. When his mother asked how much he was shooting for, maybe $1,000, he replied with a cool hundred grand.
So this Memorial Day, Johnson will man a booth and sell ice cream at The Hasentree Club in North Raleigh, which will host a cookout from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in honor of the third-grader’s philanthropy.
But for the world at large, Johnson hopes for donations to his website, Harrison’s Heroes, which he put together along with the nonprofit Pacific Historic Parks.
“Hi, I’m Harrison Johnson, and I’m in the third grade,” he says in a video posted there, showing a toothy grin. “I’m raising money or the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Why I’m raising money is we should never forget the American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
So far, he’s made it past $4,000, a small but admirable step toward his goal. But he faces it with an irresistible enthusiasm, living a personal quest no neighbor kid could forget.
How you can help
To contribute to Harrison Johnson’s Pearl Harbor Memorial fund, go to www.pacifichistoricparks.org/harrisonsheroes
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 12:59 PM with the headline "‘We should never forget’: Ambitious NC 9-year-old raises money for Pearl Harbor Memorial."