Saudi Arabia in August is almost unbearable as relentless waves of heat blow across the desert. Although I’ve been here for five years, the summer heat still gets to me, so I decide it’s time to go back to Africa. I’ve always heard that South Luangwa National Park in Zambia is one of Africa’s most…

The morning was wet and chilly in Kenya’s Maasai Mara game reserve. A fine mist, not quite rain, hung over the savanna as another day dawned in Africa. In the distance, thousands of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle were on the move…just another day that has played out for thousands of years. But something very dramatic…

Editor’s Note: Brian Johnson, a graduate of McNeese State University and his wife Kitty reside in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where he is a security management professional. After a 20-year career in the US Army, Brian and Kitty now devote their time to improving the welfare of animals and assisting with various conservation initiatives. By…

By Brian Johnson Special to the American Press Photos Special to the American Press On Oct. 23, 2015, our charity fundraising team successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro Africa’s highest mountain — in our quest to raise funds for Save the Elephants, a Kenyabased elephant research and conservation organization. The idea to climb Kilimanjaro began when my…

Special to the American Press Photos Special to the American Press My wife and I are from Lake Charles, completed our educations there, married, and left after I joined the military. My career has taken us from Europe to Central Asia to Saudi Arabia and countless places in between. Between the two of us, we…

Local Army Vet Soon To Climb Africa’s Highest Peak By Lydia Crochet After serving his country for 21 years, LTC (R) Army-retired Brian Johnson, of Lake Charles, is gearing up to battle a completely different kind of obstacle — a mountain. And not just any mountain, the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. While it’s…