John J. Cleaver
 |
| Age: |
|
36 |
| Hometown: |
Marysville, WA |
| Date of Death: |
11/19/2010 |
| Incident Location: |
Lagman, Afghanistan |
| Branch of Military: |
|
Army |
| Rank: |
Staff Sgt.
|
| Unit: |
782d Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division |
| Unit's Base: |
Fort Bragg, N.C |
|
Friends and family say John J. Cleaver had wanted to be like his grandfather, a World War II veteran who lost his left leg in the Battle of the Bulge.
When he was a teenager and broke his arm, Cleaver worried he wouldn’t be able to enlist in the military.
“It bothered him. He didn’t want that to hold him back,” said cousin Jason Schuler.
John Cleaver attended Galena High School in Missouri, then Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark., where he learned to fly small aircraft. He also attended Crowder College in Missouri, where he became a certified emergency medical technician.
Cleaver joined the Navy in 1995, serving in Kosovo and Iraq.
After 10 years of service, he left the Navy and joined the Army.
Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Griffey, who served with Cleaver, described the soldier as both disciplined and generous.
“John was very meticulous,” Griffey said. “He was the most disciplined soldier we had in our company.”