Synopses & Reviews
Amid ferocious fighting that many times nearly took his life, Sergeant Dillard "C. J." Johnson and his crew are recognized by Pentagon reports to have accounted for astonishing enemy KIA totals while battling inside and out of the "Carnivore," the Bradley Fighting Vehicle Johnson commanded during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After miraculously beating stage-three cancer (caused by radiation exposure from firing armor-piercing depleted-uranium rounds during combat), he returned to his platoon in Baghdad for a second tour, often serving as a sniper protecting his fellow troops. Today, Johnson and his men's story is the stuff of legend—earning them a cover story in
Soldier of Fortune and a display in the Fort Stewart Museum. But only now is Johnson telling his full story: reviewed and approved for publication by the Department of Defense,
Carnivore is the gripping and unflinchingly honest autobiography of a remarkable American warrior.
"The estimated enemy KIAs for Staff Sergeant Johnsons BIFV [Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle] during this fight [22 March, 2003] was 488. The informal estimate from the troop was that Johnson and his crew killed at least 1,000 Iraqis on 23 March. Later in the move north, Johnson engaged and destroyed 20 trucks and tallied 314 KIAs in the vicinity of An Najaf. At Objective FLOYD, Johnsons platoon fought yet another bitter fight against what they claim was a thousand paramilitary troops. … Events were corroborated by separate interviews with the remainder of C/3-7 CAV, to include the troop commander." —On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the official study of the 2003 invasion commissioned by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff
Review
“Johnson led the [Iraq] invasion, taking part in the wars first engagement, cutting a large and bloody swath through the country. ... An aggressive, unapologetic account of one mans brutal war. ... Readers will be impressed with Johnsons undoubted courage and sacrifice.” Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Credited with more than 2,600 enemy KIA, he is perhaps the most lethal ground soldier in U.S. history. . . .
Amid ferocious fighting that many times nearly took his life, Sergeant Dillard "C. J." Johnson is recognized by the Pentagon to have accounted for more than two thousand enemy killed in action while battling inside and out of the "Carnivore," the Bradley Fighting Vehicle he commanded during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After miraculously beating stage-three cancer (caused by radiation exposure from firing armor-piercing depleted-uranium rounds during combat), he returned to his platoon in Baghdad for a second tour, often serving as a sniper protecting his fellow troops. He is credited with 121 confirmed sniper kills, the most ever publicly reported by a U.S. Army soldier and the second-most in U.S. history, behind American Sniper author Chris Kyle.
Today, Johnson's story is the stuff of legend—earning him a cover story in Soldier of Fortune and a display in the Fort Stewart Museum. But only now is he telling his full story: filled with bravery, humor, and astonishing details from the battlefield, Carnivore is the gripping and unflinchingly honest autobiography of a remarkable American warrior.
About the Author
Dillard "C. J." Johnson, U.S. Army (Ret.), earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, four Purple Hearts, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, six Army Commendation Medals, seven Army Achievement Medals, and numerous other awards during his twenty years of service. He has appeared on Fox News,
Good Morning America, and the cover of
Soldier of Fortune magazine. Born and raised in rural Kentucky, he lives in Florida with his wife and family.
James Tarr is a contributing editor for both Handguns and Rifle Shooter magazines. A former police officer and nationally ranked competitive shooter, Tarr worked as a private investigator for seventeen years.