Johnathan died in a Texas hospital from injuries he received from a road side bomb while serving his country in Iraq.
John had been wounded by a roadside bomb June 17 during his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was in rough shape and feeling down one day, uncharacteristic for the usually upbeat young man. One of his superiors visiting him that day asked him, "John, are you still a Marine?" "Sir! Yes, sir! I will always be a Marine!" he responded. "I will live as a Marine, and I will die as a Marine!" Johnathan was the youngest of six children, an enthusiastic young man with an infectious smile, with a prankster's heart and a love for adventure. When he was injured, he was two months away from completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. He joined the Marines in 2003 after graduating from North Branch Area High School. He played sports and acted in high school plays, strummed a guitar well and knew how to make people laugh. He joined the Marines, because he saw them as the best. While hospitalized, many relatives and friends, including his Marine comrades, visited him. His birth mother, Dawn Schubert, whom he sought out after high school, had visited him as well, His parents are, Steve and Marjorie Benson. He was 21.
Marines
Company K,
3rd Battalion,
1st Marine Division
Camp Pendleton, Calif.
John had been wounded by a roadside bomb June 17 during his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was in rough shape and feeling down one day, uncharacteristic for the usually upbeat young man. One of his superiors visiting him that day asked him, "John, are you still a Marine?" "Sir! Yes, sir! I will always be a Marine!" he responded. "I will live as a Marine, and I will die as a Marine!" Johnathan was the youngest of six children, an enthusiastic young man with an infectious smile, with a prankster's heart and a love for adventure. When he was injured, he was two months away from completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. He joined the Marines in 2003 after graduating from North Branch Area High School. He played sports and acted in high school plays, strummed a guitar well and knew how to make people laugh. He joined the Marines, because he saw them as the best. While hospitalized, many relatives and friends, including his Marine comrades, visited him. His birth mother, Dawn Schubert, whom he sought out after high school, had visited him as well, His parents are, Steve and Marjorie Benson. He was 21.
Marines
Company K,
3rd Battalion,
1st Marine Division
Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Johnathan died in a Texas hospital from injuries he received from a road side bomb while serving his country in Iraq.
John had been wounded by a roadside bomb June 17 during his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was in rough shape and feeling down one day, uncharacteristic for the usually upbeat young man. One of his superiors visiting him that day asked him, "John, are you still a Marine?" "Sir! Yes, sir! I will always be a Marine!" he responded. "I will live as a Marine, and I will die as a Marine!" Johnathan was the youngest of six children, an enthusiastic young man with an infectious smile, with a prankster's heart and a love for adventure. When he was injured, he was two months away from completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. He joined the Marines in 2003 after graduating from North Branch Area High School. He played sports and acted in high school plays, strummed a guitar well and knew how to make people laugh. He joined the Marines, because he saw them as the best. While hospitalized, many relatives and friends, including his Marine comrades, visited him. His birth mother, Dawn Schubert, whom he sought out after high school, had visited him as well, His parents are, Steve and Marjorie Benson. He was 21.
Marines
Company K,
3rd Battalion,
1st Marine Division
Camp Pendleton, Calif.
John had been wounded by a roadside bomb June 17 during his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was in rough shape and feeling down one day, uncharacteristic for the usually upbeat young man. One of his superiors visiting him that day asked him, "John, are you still a Marine?" "Sir! Yes, sir! I will always be a Marine!" he responded. "I will live as a Marine, and I will die as a Marine!" Johnathan was the youngest of six children, an enthusiastic young man with an infectious smile, with a prankster's heart and a love for adventure. When he was injured, he was two months away from completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. He joined the Marines in 2003 after graduating from North Branch Area High School. He played sports and acted in high school plays, strummed a guitar well and knew how to make people laugh. He joined the Marines, because he saw them as the best. While hospitalized, many relatives and friends, including his Marine comrades, visited him. His birth mother, Dawn Schubert, whom he sought out after high school, had visited him as well, His parents are, Steve and Marjorie Benson. He was 21.
Marines
Company K,
3rd Battalion,
1st Marine Division
Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Inscription
CPL USMC
OPERATION IRAQI
FREEDOM
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PH W/OLC
OUR BELOVED SON
AND BROTHER
