Army Sergeant John A. Lyons
December 4, 1984 ~ October 26,
2011
Operation Enduring Freedom
8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade
Fort Hood, TX
26, of Peterborough, NH; killed in action by enemy small arms fire in Ghanzi province, Afghanistan.
Operation Enduring Freedom
8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade
Fort Hood, TX
26, of Peterborough, NH; killed in action by enemy small arms fire in Ghanzi province, Afghanistan.
John was born in Peterborough, N.H. and resided in Seaside Park, NJ. He was a 2003 graduate of Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, NJ — where he was a member of the mock trial team — and graduated from Rutgers with degrees in political science and Latin in 2008.
John planned to return from his tour of duty in the Middle East and take over the family logging business in New Hampshire. He was due home about a month after he was killed. He had planned to manage the business’ books and leave the actual tree cutting to his older brother Adam, said Phil Germain, Adam’s father-in-law. John adored his two nephews, his brother Adam and wife Meredith’s children. "He felt indebted to his country and wanted to be part of the reason America is so great, but he was so excited to go into business with his brother," Germain said.
Family and friends remember John for his playful but mature demeanor. Serving his country and his sense of patriotism was obvious to them. He was bright, grounded and close to his family and friends.
Jeff Harkins of Milltown, NJ said he saw John the week he enlisted in the Army in 2008 and that he was "so excited to serve." As a college graduate, John could have become an officer right away, Harkins said, but he wanted to be on the front lines of the nation’s war.
Jennifer Padavano, one of the organizers of the first commemorative run in John’s memory, was a very close friend of his. She said, “He was so well rounded, smart, and fun to be around. He went on to college at Rutgers and graduated with degrees in political science and Latin. He was brilliant. I believe he eventually wanted to do something in the CIA but he felt it was necessary to join the Army and be overseas protecting his country first.”
John joined the Army as a combat engineer. In May of 2013, he was added to the University of New Hampshire War Memorial.
His awards and decorations are the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Overseas, Army Service and National Defense Ribbons and the Global War on Terrorism, for which he received Service and Expeditionary Medals. He also led the winning team of the annual Bataan Death March Event in New Mexico.
John is survived by his fiancé, Kristiani Endreson, mother Susan Smiley, father Ron Lyons, brother, Adam and wife Meredith Lyons, sister, Lena Lyons, maternal grandmother, Gloria Smiley and his extended family.
John planned to return from his tour of duty in the Middle East and take over the family logging business in New Hampshire. He was due home about a month after he was killed. He had planned to manage the business’ books and leave the actual tree cutting to his older brother Adam, said Phil Germain, Adam’s father-in-law. John adored his two nephews, his brother Adam and wife Meredith’s children. "He felt indebted to his country and wanted to be part of the reason America is so great, but he was so excited to go into business with his brother," Germain said.
Family and friends remember John for his playful but mature demeanor. Serving his country and his sense of patriotism was obvious to them. He was bright, grounded and close to his family and friends.
Jeff Harkins of Milltown, NJ said he saw John the week he enlisted in the Army in 2008 and that he was "so excited to serve." As a college graduate, John could have become an officer right away, Harkins said, but he wanted to be on the front lines of the nation’s war.
Jennifer Padavano, one of the organizers of the first commemorative run in John’s memory, was a very close friend of his. She said, “He was so well rounded, smart, and fun to be around. He went on to college at Rutgers and graduated with degrees in political science and Latin. He was brilliant. I believe he eventually wanted to do something in the CIA but he felt it was necessary to join the Army and be overseas protecting his country first.”
John joined the Army as a combat engineer. In May of 2013, he was added to the University of New Hampshire War Memorial.
His awards and decorations are the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Overseas, Army Service and National Defense Ribbons and the Global War on Terrorism, for which he received Service and Expeditionary Medals. He also led the winning team of the annual Bataan Death March Event in New Mexico.
John is survived by his fiancé, Kristiani Endreson, mother Susan Smiley, father Ron Lyons, brother, Adam and wife Meredith Lyons, sister, Lena Lyons, maternal grandmother, Gloria Smiley and his extended family.
