Returning Honesty and Integrity to Congress

John is a disabled Marine, who served as a Signals Intelligence Collector and Analyst for 17 years, before being promoted to First Sergeant.  Due to service-connected injuries, he retired in early 2001; however, after 9/11, he began working as a Terrorism Analyst translating documents and conducting Open Source research for the U.S. Joint Forces Intelligence Command. He continued working for several Hampton Roads organizations, as well as in Washington, DC through the next 15 years, primarily analyzing National Security issues emanating from the Middle East.

In 2015, after two years working at United States Citizenship & Immigration Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, as a Senior Intelligence Analyst vetting Syrian refugees, he returned to Norfolk as an Immigration Services Officer.  A year later, while returning from a naturalization ceremony, he was involved in an automobile accident and subsequently retired from government service.  Because the federal government denied all claims for Workman’s Compensation, our family relied on a large withdrawal from his 401K, in addition to his military retirement and VA disability pay, so as not to go bankrupt.

Early Life

John was raised in Abington, MA, where he still has a large extended family – mostly cousins. He attended Abington Public Schools through the 8th Grade but wanted to go to a local Catholic High School.  Because his parents could not afford it, the Pastor at St. Bridget’s Church offered him a job of answering phones at the church several evenings each week.  Later, John started cleaning the church, the church hall, and the school.  In the spring of his Freshman year, John added mowing both the church grounds and parish cemetery to his list of jobs.  Because of this help from the Pastor, John attended Cardinal Spellman High School, where he graduated in 1980

When John was 8 years old, his mother’s Central Nervous System began deteriorating; doctors were never able to properly diagnose her.  She was restricted to a wheelchair for 24 years, including most of John’s youth.  He and his siblings immediately became responsible for all the chores typical of a housewife of that era, in addition to the normal yard chores.  Because her medicine was so expensive, there were times, especially when his father was laid off, when he and his older sister could have only two meals a day.

John graduated from Cardinal Spellman High in 1980 and joined the Marine Corps several months later, going to boot camp in February 1981.

Military

After graduating from Parris Island, John was transferred to Company K Marine Support Battalion, in Pensacola, FL, where he was trained as a Manual Morse Intercept Operator, followed by an 18-month assignment in Misawa, Japan.  In September 1983, John returned to the United States, being assigned to 2d Radio Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC and was immediately assigned to 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, which was being deployed as part of a NATO exercise in Norway, followed by operations off the coast of Lebanon.

John reenlisted in 1984 and continued his career as a Signals Intelligence Analyst, Morse Code Instructor, Arabic Linguist, Cryptologic Training Chief/Foreign Language Chief for the Marine Corps (1997-98), and finally, as First Sergeant of Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 8th Marines and 2d Military Police Company, before retiring.

Post-Military

John worked for a year as an Executive Team Leader at Target in Jacksonville, NC, but due to his service-connected injuries, had to leave this job.  Shortly after leaving, he was offered a temporary position at U.S. Joint Forces Intelligence Command, analyzing captured documents from Afghanistan.  After less than six months on the job, Booz-Allen-Hamilton offered John a consultant position, supporting Standing Joint Forces Headquarters, Homeland Security (SJFHQ-HLS), along with a large pay raise.  In this position, John was assigned as the Lead Counterterrorism Analyst, responsible for briefing the Commanding General each day. 

When SJFHQ-HLS was disestablished, John was assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard supporting the newly created International Port Security Program, with intelligence information for Coast Guard port inspectors traveling abroad.  After 18 months, John was hired by the U.S. Coast Guard as the Senior Threat Analyst for U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, where he worked for the next five years.

John also worked as a Senior Watch Analyst at the Department of Homeland Security, Supervisory Intelligence Specialist of the Illicit Travel Unit at Immigration & Customs Enforcement Headquarters, and Senior Intelligence Analyst, developing the Syrian Refugee Vetting Program for the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services Headquarters.

Family Life

John was married to his wife, Lisa, in 1986 and they have four children and two grandchildren. John’s youngest son, James, has Down Syndrome and is a Cancer Survivor. 

For most of their married life, they were living paycheck-to-paycheck, always seeming to have a health emergency whenever they had saved money for their future.  It wasn’t until John was in his late 40’s, when they finally achieved middle class status.  They lost middle-class status when John was injured at work, since the government denied his Workman’s Compensation application, but have prevented bankruptcy due to having savings and having VA Disability pay.

Personal Information

Education:           Certificate, National Intelligence University (formally, Joint Military                                           Intelligence College)

                             Bachelor of Science, Campbell University

                             Master of Business Administration, Northcentral University

Religion:               Roman Catholic, St. Mary of the Presentation, Suffolk, VA

                             Suffolk Knights of Columbus, Council 7363

Vets Groups:       Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 13

                             Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 824

                             American Legion, Member at Large