A native of Maryville, TN, John  was commissioned in the Naval Theological Student Program in 1986.  His first duty station was with Destroyer Squadron 13 out of San Diego which included a Western Pacific deployment.  He served with the Marines on the ground and in the air at Camp LeJeune and Cherry point, NC.  He also served overseas as the Command Chaplain for Special Operations Command South, where he deployed to numerous South American countries.  Hand-picked by the Chief of Navy Chaplains, he served as the director of CREST, (Chaplains and Religious Program Specialists Expeditionary Skills Training).  His combat tour was as the Command Chaplain onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) which included deployment in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. He retired from active duty in 2014 with 28 years of service.

John is married to his high school sweetheart, Melanie.  They have two married daughters and 5 grandchildren. (the oldest, Caiden, is currently serving in the US Navy as a third generation sailor.)  John and Melanie moved to Raleigh in 2020 to be near their family.