Forrest Bryant Johnson Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Forrest Bryant Johnson
Forrest Bryant Johnson was born in 1935 in Louisville, Kentucky. He acquired the nickname of “Frosty” during his time as captain of the high school swim team and continued using this name for many years. He graduated from the University of Louisville in 1957 with degrees in both chemistry and psychology, working at the YMCA in the evenings and life guarding during the summer months for tuition money.

He planned to go on to medical school however he neither had the funds (since in those days there were no student loans) nor the grades that were required by the one medical school in the state. When he was at the University he was a member of the American Chemical Society, Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and the Kentucky Archaeological Society.

Forrest, after graduation, was employed as an assistant chemist at the local industrial coatings manufacturer. In the year 1960 he entered the army as a private and went through Basic Infantry Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The next year he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and finished company grade officers training at Ft. Sam Houston, and graduating with a grade of “Superior”.

Returning to civilian life and the coatings company, he got assigned to the Iowa territory as a salesman and he lived in Cedar Rapids. He got promoted to the Chicago territory and he lived in Naperville, Illinois. He quickly resigned in order to work with another company. His final position with the company was as Sales Director. During these days in the Chicago area Johnson get interested in ancient Egyptian history and he owned Basenjis.

Forrest has been married to Chiaki Keiko (ex-Japanese singing star), with whom he conducts desert scenic tours in and around the Las Vegas area. Forrest has four adult children from his previous marriage.

“Phantom Warrior” is a non-fiction book that was released in 2007. This is John McKinney’s story, a man that received the Medal of Honor for his actions against one Japanese surprise attack. May 11, 1945. McKinney returned fire on the Japanese that attacked his unit, using every single weapon available, including his firsts even, and stood alone against one wave after the next of dedicated Japanese soldiers. By the end, John was alive, with more than 40 Japanese bodies before him.

This is tale of a rather extraordinary man whose fortitude and bravery in battle saved so many American lives, and whose legacy has sadly just been forgotten by all except a few. Here, the proud legacy of John McKinney can live on.

“The Last Camel Charge: The Untold Story of America’s Desert Military Experiment” is a non-fiction book that was released in 2012. The US Army, during the mid-nineteenth century, would employ this weapon that hadn’t ever been seen before on its native soil. From the Middle East came this cavalry mount which would fare better than both horses and mules in the American Southwest. Against the Mojave in the Arizona territory, against the Mormons in Utah Territory, during the early parts of the Civil War, the camel went on to become one of America’s great military experiments, and is a nearly forgotten chapter in Americana.

This is the first book that tells the full story and documents in detail the military’s experiment with camels. By the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, there was a need emerging for the control of and transportation through the country’s vast new western territories. The hostile environment proved to be a challenge for the Army’s traditional mounts, and in a pretty radical move, the War Department ordered a Navy ship and its captain to go to the Mid-East in order to buy camels and deliver them to the Army post in Texas.

This mission brought together quite the extraordinary group of innovative rancher Samuel A. Bishop, whose own desperation over the Mojave gave birth to the idea; with Lt. Edward F. Beale (Mexican War hero) being placed in command of the newly arrived beasts, that would forge this wagon trail out westward.

At the same time, Colonel Albert S. Johnston was leading his troops against Mormons and Hadji “Hi Jolly” Ali, who had accompanied these great beasts overseas, wound up becoming known as one of America’s first Muslim immigrants.

Reaching speeds of up to forty miles an hour, traveling entire days without water, and able to carry three times the weight a mule can, camels helped to unite a nation, subdue enemies, reach new frontiers. Now, this book gives them their due as a vital piece of American history.

“Trooper: The Bobcat Who Came in from the Wild” is a non-fiction book that was released in 2018. Whenever Forrest Bryant Johnson (middle aged tour guide) went out for his daily walks into the Mojave, all was typically serene and peaceful. However one gorgeous summer day in 1987, he heard this distress cry. Following these cries, he happened upon this small bobcat kitten, who was orphaned, injured, and in desperate need of some help. So Forrest took in his new feline friend home for the night. However when the little “trooper” obviously needed further time for recuperation, that one night turned into two nights, then a week, and then eventually nineteen whole years. And so Trooper became a part of the Johnson family.

During these nineteen years, Trooper lived out his nine lives to the fullest. He explored the desert fauna and flora all around him, befriending the kit foxes, desert tortoises, jackrabbits, and the other creatures and getting into plenty of mischief along the way. Trooper became a “big brother” to a stray tabby Little Brother, guiding, teaching, and protecting Brother on the pair’s misadventures and adventures. Trooper became a beloved patient at his local vet, and was a cherished housemate to Chi, Forrest’s wife. And Trooper was even able to melt the icy heart of a tough guy neighbor. However most of all, throughout all of his nineteen years, Trooper became Forrest’s best friend, since the two shared one another’s joys and laughter, frustration and worries, and musings and rants.

This book, heartfelt and harrowing, is for any reader that ever had their heart get stolen by their pet.