Seery, Jonn Joseph, LTJG

He was injured on  01/14/1969 and died  02/19/1969
Jonn Joseph Seery lived these words during every day of his life, as a student, Eagle Scout, Sea Scout, musician, midshipman, officer, shipmate, friend and son.

Born in St. Louis Missouri, raised in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio and an NROTC graduate of Miami (Ohio) University, Jonn was the third of his family to bear his name and be killed-in-action while serving the United States of America. It was his eager sense of duty and honor that called him to serve his country in Vietnam “as long as there is one American still serving in that country.”

Jonn did not have to serve in Vietnam. He was a Sole Surviving Son whose father, named for an uncle who died in World War I, had been killed during the Normandy Invasion of World War II.

Jonn’s sense of duty and honor was as dedicated to the people around him as it was to his country. He was never one to watch if he could act. Whether getting stranded on a cliff as a child trying to rescue a cat or looking after his men and boats, he was always looking for ways to help.

In the words of the crew of the U.S.S. Implicit (MSO 455) at the end of his first Vietnam tour of duty, “When it comes to combat, there is no officer in the United States Navy with whom we would rather serve.”

Jonn’s unassuming eagerness, loyalty, dedication and quiet sense of humor have been missed for 30 years, but not forgotten by those who knew him. Both Jonn and his father are buried in an enlisted section of Arlington National Cemetery, where “All are equal in the eyes of God.”