Rebecca Johnston, Mother Of Four Featured In Obama Infomercial, Is Headed To Boot Camp

Rebecca Johnston, the mother of four featured in Barack Obama's 30-minute campaign infomercial last fall, will be shipping off to boot camp next Wednesday.

In the ad, Obama promised a "rescue plan for the middle class." But it hasn't come soon enough for the Johnstons of Kansas City, Mo., portrayed in the video as struggling to pay bills and cover the kids' expenses -- and having to put off knee surgery for Rebecca's husband, Brian, who worked in a tire-retreading factory.

Johnston, who does administrative work at Liberty Hospital, joined the Army Reserves in June to get some financial security for her family.

"My kids' ages range between 15 to 3," she told the Huffington Post in May, back when she was preparing to sign up. "At this point I look at it like I can't contribute anything to their college, I can barely make their health care costs, we're just skimming by paycheck to paycheck."

This time next week Johnston will be starting basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., gaining health and educational benefits for her brood. It might not be the most fun for Johnston, who stands a little over five feet tall and will turn 35 in September. She'll be with a bunch of 19- and 20-year-olds.

"I just have to remember not to compare myself because I'm older and slower, and having four kids, my abs aren't the same," she said this week. "I heard it's pretty tough because the men don't appreciate training with the women...I've been warned by several sergeants that I'll probably be teased quite heavily."

Johnston said she went through some drills in June and July, got her uniform and learned a few things, like how to stand at attention. Basic training will finish up in November, at which point she'll go to Virginia for training in her specific job as a transportation management coordinator until February. After basic training, Johnston will face the prospect of a war-zone deployment every few years in a six-year commitment.

At first, Johnston said her parents disapproved of her plan. But, she said, "They've come around to appreciate what I'm doing and really see the effort I'm making."

It'll be her parents who watch the kids while she's gone; she said her enlistment, on top of their weak finances, put too much of a strain on her marriage, and she and Brian separated a few weeks ago. She said she's maintaining a positive and confident outlook for the sake of her kids.

"I tend to be the rock," she said. "I come from a long line of rocks."

WATCH "American Stories":

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[Michael McDaniel]

11:40 PM on 09/27/2009

I'm in the Army.

How does she have a uniform and a unit insignia on her beret if she hasn't gone to basic yet.
This story reeks of PR.

Respectful­ly.

[AN2009]

04:10 PM on 09/03/2009

That's a sad story. I hope things become better for Rebecca Johnston.

[hrholmes]

01:55 PM on 09/03/2009

Let me see if I got this straight now. She's middle aged, getting divorced, leaves the 4 kids with her parents, to go off and join the army. Talk about a complete meltdown mid-life crisis getaway. Wait until the contractor­s get their hands on her!

[greylox]

05:20 PM on 09/03/2009

**Middle aged? Are you 12?

[EndTheEcho]

11:06 AM on 09/03/2009

If she gets deployed, I worry that teasing isn't the biggest concern from some of her fellow troops. Unfortunat­ely sexual assault against female troops is still a big problem.

I am not sure about the disparity between 41 and 29 percent below, but either number is way too high.

http://www­.cnn.com/2­008/US/07/­31/militar­y.sexabuse­/index.htm­l

A congresswo­man said Thursday that her "jaw dropped" when military doctors told her that four in 10 women at a veterans hospital reported being sexually assaulted while in the military.

"My jaw dropped when the doctors told me that 41 percent of the female veterans seen there say they were victims of sexual assault while serving in the military," said Harman, who has long sought better protection of women in the military.

"Twenty-ni­ne percent say they were raped during their military service. They spoke of their continued terror, feelings of helplessne­ss and downward spirals many of their lives have taken since.

"We have an epidemic here," she said. "Women serving in the U.S. military today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq."

[Fudgefase]

01:40 PM on 09/03/2009

The 29% referred to allegation­s of rape, a specific offense, while the larger number referred to sexual assault, that does not necessaril­y involve rape. Either number is too freakin' high.

[Whitley2009]

09:31 AM on 09/03/2009

I wonder. If we had President Obama's public option health care plan, would it have been necessary for this young lady to enter service?

In any case, she is going to Ft. Jackson (where I went to Basic Training) during a rather warm time of year. She'll be in for some hot weather training. The staff members on that military base are very profession­al. The base has an excellent hospital. She will find an abundance of facilities and assistance available to her if needed. Fort Jackson, SC is part of the Greater Columbia, SC metropolit­an area, and it is a military oriented city. We have service people at the fort from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. We love'em all. Good luck to Rebecca.

[AContrario]

08:50 AM on 09/03/2009

There is something rotten in the Land Of Plenty.

[HC4BO]

08:35 AM on 09/03/2009

Poor woman ... The CHANGE was NOT strong Enough !

Now she has to join an army that is currently fighting 2 un-winnabl­e disasters ...

Who knew the Change peddler was drunk on Bi-partisa­nship ... ?

[greylox]

05:22 PM on 09/03/2009

**Do you hear a fat lady singing?

[hiker61]

08:29 AM on 09/03/2009

Something is really fishy with this story. I don't want to nit pick details, but to enlist with more than two dependents under 18, even for the army, is not allowed for non prior service members. While it is true that waivers can be granted I have never in my years of service seen or heard of a waiver for four dependents­, especially when the enlistee is right at the max age cutoff (now 35 changed from 42 for the army). The other branches are even more stringent on age and dependency regulation­s. Finally, new recruits who have yet to leave for and graduate basic training (boot camp is the term for the USMC) do not wear the uniform with the beret and crest on the flash which applies to active or reserve members. So, this story makes a nice human interest piece, but is laden with errors. Because of this and the fact that we are losing troops daily I think it's important to portray accurate stories on the service and too much of this story has issues.

[Tyler-Durden]

09:18 AM on 09/03/2009

yeah, you're right. someone made this all up. maybe the woman herself. it's all a big ploy to make "a nice human interest piece".

just because it "seems fishy" to you, doesn't mean it's untrue. to imply this story is bogus is a real insult to Ms. Johnston.

i would hate to be so broke, with a family, that i was forced to join the military as a means to access sufficient income.

IT'S A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS FOR THIS NATION, that the elite have crashed our economy, eliminated all of our jobs, and have forced so many people into poverty, that their only choice is to join the military, so they can STAFF THEIR ILLEGAL, IMMORAL, UN-WINNABL­E WARS.

but this is all going according to plan for the elite, isn't it? GS and BoA are doing great, wars are continuing to be waged, and at no expense to them. because WE THE TAXPAYER ARE BEING FORCED TO PAY FOR OUR OWN DESTRUCTIO­N.

[skorpeo]

05:06 PM on 09/03/2009

i agree with you about the uniform; i enlisted in the reserves on july 1, and when i attend pre-basic drill weekends, i am to wear "business casual" civilian dress. i don't get a uniform. even in basic, i don't think we will be issued berets until graduation day.

the age limitation of 35, however, applies to national guard, not the army reserves. i turn 42 three days after i ship out to BCT. but july 1 was the last day the reserves accepted non-prior service applicants­. they are full up.

[henrypapillon]

06:40 AM on 09/03/2009

I give her credit --she is one heck of a woman.

[lastpost]

06:32 AM on 09/03/2009

Fit to die for your country.
But not fit, to be granted health by your country.

[Tyler-Durden]

09:19 AM on 09/03/2009

excellent comment!

[mountclemens]

10:55 AM on 09/03/2009

Seconded!

[austin4]

01:38 AM on 09/03/2009

I can just feel the love in this room tonight,,,­,,,,I should have brought my over coat

[TXDeb]

11:09 PM on 09/02/2009

This story to me indicates the conviction­s of a mothers love. She is making a heart-wren­ching decision to temporaril­y separate from her children in order to adequately provide for them.

Words and sympathy are not enough.

We as a country can do better than send our young mothers to war. Heaven help us!

[CTtransplant]

10:39 PM on 09/02/2009

Our elected officials in Congress receive health care mostly paid for by us tax payers, yet many are trying to make it impossible for us to purchase an affordable plan of our own :

While many of us are struggling to afford medical insurance/­medical bills.
While Congress people try to stop healthcare reform.
While Congress people accept large contributi­ons from lobbyists to prevent health care reform.

Please sign these petitions - and by all means, spread the word! Thank you!

http://www­.petitiono­nline.com/­PubOp676/p­etition.ht­ml
http://act­ion.firedo­glake.com/­page/s/kee­pthepledge­?source=em­ail&subsou­rce=fwd
http://sal­sa.wiredfo­rchange.co­m/o/5649/t­/4922/cont­ent.jsp?co­ntent_KEY=­2763&tag=h­k1_typ-e1

[quiviran]

10:39 PM on 09/02/2009

What has the country come to, that this is her best option? This is not a feel good story. Military service should be a career for those who choose it, an early adulthood transition­al experience for most and definitely not the option of last resort for middle aged parents (she's getting there) to be able to provide health care for their children. Sad, sad, sad.

[juhar]

10:12 PM on 09/02/2009

THIS IS NOT GOOD. This mom should think in long terms, not short terms solutions to her financial problems. FOUR KIDS - leaving them for two weeks is too much in my opinion.

[slaxx]

10:14 PM on 09/02/2009

more like 3/4 months. the article said she'll be done with training in november. then she'll go to VA for more training until february.

[eilish]

11:15 PM on 09/02/2009

And then, because she's Army Reserve, her deployment­s will be a year with probably at least a 3 month extension, then back in 3 months ad infinitum - not 'every few years'. Reg'lar military are not generally deployed for such long tours. They just rotate in and out a lot. Reserves & National Guard, not so much.