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Just a little more info about John - for those who come across this and didn’t have the chance to know him. John’s ABCCC stint was Biloxi time frame and included the Invasion of Panama, and Desert Shield/Storm. John was a very good, hard working AMT. He had been a CT on AWACS - 964th I believe. I think he was also assigned to AWACS at Kadena but I’m not positive. He was a SSGT when I knew him and he was willing to fly anytime, anywhere. Nicest guy in the world - everybody liked John and I can’t remember anyone ever saying anything negative about him. He was so funny. He made it very clear that he really loved his wife and was totally dedicated to his young family. His family lived next to Tony Youngblood’s family in base housing and they hung out a lot. He was always taking night classes at Embry-Riddle but he never turned down a TDY that he was assigned to. When he finished his degree, I remember he really struggled with the decision to seek OTS or Army helicopter training, but I remember that he had some deep love for the Apache and finally decided he just had to fly it and he went for the Army. We all used to tease him that he might flunk out of Warrant Officer training and end up a grunt but you could see that he never doubted for a single moment that he would make it through. I remember his going away party in Ocean Springs. We had a crawfish boil and drank like fish. Everybody from Hillsboro showed up. It was a blast. John ended up in the shower with his clothes on for some reason long forgotten. He was very excited about heading off for Army Warrant officer school and we were all really happy for him. That was the last time I remember seeing John. Sometime later, I think it was Eddie Driggers that called me and told me that John was on-board the helicopter that was shot down by a F-15 in the no-fly zone in Iraq. Somehow, AWACS was blamed and poor Capt Jim Wang was prosecuted. My memory is a little foggy now so if anyone cares to correct me feel free…

Posted by  on  11/06  at  12:54 PM

Here is a memorial link:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jwgarrett.htm

Posted by  on  11/06  at  02:58 PM

Here’ some more info on John:
Yes, he was indeed assigned as a CT in the 964th AWACS at Tinker AFB.  I was a radio operator in the same squadron with him. I was then assigned to AWACS at Kadena AB and John shortly followed me. I remember when he had a small fire in his kitchen in base housing.  Several of us went down to help clean all the soot off of everything.  Then I was reassigned to the 7th ACCS and then followed me there again… I remember when he decided to go fly choppers in the Army.  I thought how ironic it was that he spent so many years flying in AWACS only to be shot down by an AWACS controlled F-15.  I couldn’t go to his funeral at the time, but when I was assigned to the Pentagon for my final tour, I made sure to go and pay my respects.  One thing about John, he was always sweating!  He sweated buckets… even when it wasn’t hot.  I remember a TDY to the PI.  We were room mates. It was around 1 am and he hadn’t come back to his room yet.  I decided to hit the sack.  I woke up the next morning and he was naked and face down on his bed, not a stitch of clothing to be found any where… I figured he must have had a great time where ever he was… I remember how Capt. Jim Wang was scape-goated in shoot down… I bumped into him at Tinker while the investigation was goin on and let him know that I hoped everything would turn out good for him… but it didn’t....

Posted by  on  11/25  at  03:01 PM

Oh, one more thing about the shoot down…
The F-15 pilot(s?) said they did a visual ID on the blackhawk (not apache) and identified it as a Hind! I couldn’t believe it… there was also some controversy about if they were squawking IFF or not and what the policy surrounding that was… Yeah, Capt. Wang was scape-goated for sure…

Posted by  on  11/25  at  03:08 PM

First of all… salutations to all my ABCCC comrades.

ABCCC was my first assignment right out of Tech School. (circa 1985). As a CSO I worked along side of John many times. I agree, he was a very hard working, dedicated and all around good person. During Desert Shield/Storm we both took up jogging and we’d circle Eskan Village. (yep, he was sweating there also). I was in shock when I heard about the shootdown. I remember learning about the shoot down, and the type helo and thinking to myself. What are the chances of John being on there. I mean, if you have ever been to Fort Rucker, you can get a grasp on the quantity of Helicopters the Army has.
Well, unfortunately, it was my jogging buddy. My heart fell to the ground.

Those of us that have flown long enough… know what the truth is. We loose good people.

I am so sorry that he isn’t here with us today.

Posted by  on  11/29  at  06:08 PM

I remember the day very clearly when I heard.  I had just come home from work. I was stationed at Tinker after I had cross-trained over into computer programming.  I could hear the tv news was talking about the shoot down. My wife was sitting on the couch and turned to me with tears in her eyes and said I have some bad news for you....  I put two and two together very quickly (it’s about the shoot down and why would that be bad news for me? I only have one connection to blackhawks...) “Oh no, it’s John isn’t it....?”, I barely said…

Posted by  on  11/29  at  06:42 PM

I’ll never forget the day that we received the call from Tracy.  I was working out in the yard when Cheryl came out and asked me where John was.  I told her that I didn’t know, but we had just gotten a postcard from him saying he was in Turkey.  (I still have the postcard).  She then told me that two Blackhawks had been shotdown in Turkey.  We were glued to the TV the rest of the day just hoping it wasn’t John.  We went to bed and about 0200, Tracy called us from Germany to let us know that it was John (The rest of the conversation is between us).  She told us that she would get in touch with us if there was any other info to pass.  We didn’t speak with Tracey until we met up with her and Jess up in West Virginia.  Russ Orths was the info passer between then and WV.  Cheryl and I drove up for the memorial service in WV, then caravanned over to DC for the funeral service at Arlington. 

I was one of the pallbearers that marched alongside the cason for what seemed like 100 miles.  There was quite the mixture of service from Navy personnel he was stationed with in Okinawa, I was the AF contingient and there was also Army friends represented.  That was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do and still get choked up when I hear Taps.

We also had the honor of meeting his wingman’s widow, Kaye Mounsey, and grieve with her also.  Our thoughts and prayers went out to all the heroes that were on those 60s that day.

I still think of him often when I’m passing gas to one of our 60s, or go into my office at the house and see the picture of us two at his Army WO pin-on ceremony where I rendered him his first salute and received his dollar bill.

I’ll be visiting him one more time as I drive out from Langley this spring when my HQ ACC tour is up.  I’ll tell him you all said hello.

Take care and God Bless.

Tony Youngblood

Posted by  on  12/10  at  08:31 PM

The Alan Parsons Project is one of my favorite groups. They have been ever since I bought their first album in 1975 (I have them all). When I heard “Brother Up In Heaven”, I was stunned… speechless… John came to mind… I started remebering seeing him… go through the preflight… sweat dripping from his forehead as always… knowing he was working hard to make everything was ready… all the other memories… This song chokes me up big time as I’m sure will anyone who listens to it and has lost a fellow flier… Take care everyone, hope this holiday season is a happy one.  The wife and I will be camping in Big Bend National Park for a week starting on the 12/26…
Enjoy: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3y4_FUfEiZg
Barry

Posted by  on  12/10  at  11:33 PM

Damn, posted that too fast. I wanted to say Hi Tony! Hope you and yours are doing well.  Say “Hi” to John for me....
Barry

Posted by  on  12/10  at  11:37 PM

Hello Barry, Tony, and Robin,
Good to see your names again - seems like at least one or the other of you shows up listed on every one of my old TDY orders… Thanks for posting your recollections of John and special thanks to Tony for letting us read about that period following the shootdown and the funeral. It was good to read some more about him that I didn’t know. I wasn’t real close but always liked shooting the bull with him.

Posted by  on  01/11  at  01:56 PM

John and I were became very good friends we shared a room in Saudi for nearly 6 months.  The “pig sty” a sign over my bed big pig over his little pig.  Not sure if Ken Jacobs put them there or wild Bill.  I was at NATO Awacs at the time and several of us went to the memorial service remeber the hard stares from the army folks.  I remeber that morning still Wife was listening to AFARTS and I was getting ready to go in still in training.  She heard the report asked me what the chances of that being John My response the Army got thousands.  Mike vessel showed up and I knew what it had to be Rob Hopkins, Mike Vessel, Nick Nichols and 2 others I can’t remeber who else.  I still think of him now and then and it still hard to think how he went.

Posted by  on  02/28  at  09:12 PM