Remembers A Fallen Brother"
John Henry Garner was born in Charleston Heights, SC on May 14, 1947. John Henry joined the Navy and went to school as a Hospital Corpsman. After graduation from Field Med School he was administratively assigned to Headquarters & Service Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, FMF. As a Hospital Corpsman John Henry had a standard to meet. The Marines he served with expected him to be singularly fearless, able to ignore battles in progress to be in constant attendance of those who were wounded. A short delay because of fear could mean death to a wounded comrad or buddy. The men needed to know that they could count on their MEDIC.
As a black enlisted man, John Henry had another hurdle to make as well. These were times when racism was a tense matter, and an adjustment peroid between races occourred until things settled from black/white/red/yellow to "shades of green".
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class John Henry Garner had just turned twenty when he was returning, via a PBR, from a search and destroy mission in Quang Nam Province with the rifle company to which he was attached (Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, FMF). His boat came under heavy enemy fire and capsized. John Henry is believed to have drowned and a search failed to locate his body. His loss was listed as Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered (KIA/BNR).
The Case of John Henry Garner seems clear. Others who are yet to be accounted for have cases not so
easy to close. Some were known Prisoners of War, some were in radio contact with would-be rescuers as they
described their emminent capture.
Some simply vanished.
Since the war ended, thousands of reports have been received convincing many that several hundred AMERICANS are still alive in South East Asia. While Garner is evidently not among them, one can immagine this proud young man jumping quickly at the cry of "MEDIC", to help bring them in.
John Henry Garner was one of a larger number of South Carolinians to die in Viet Nam. He was one of 564 single, one of 353 black and one of 244 South Carolinians who never saw their 21st birthday. This was also the largest age group from South Carolina to loose their lives in Viet Nam.
A letter arrived in my mail box a bit ago, and with the senders approval, John Henry's Sister I am adding it to this page:
Dear Sir,
I am just about in tears as I watch my brother's web site. Thank you soooo much. One can
only imagine the pain of no disclosure on a dear brother... May God Bless you,
Clara Garner Milbourne
While holding on to your pillow you hear a still small voice say,
I will never leave you,
When tears of sorrow flow down your face,
I will never leave you,
Forsaken by others and rejected by peers,
I will never leave you,
Going through trials and tribulations,
I will never leave you,
When it seems like no one understands,
I will never leave you,
Although you can't see me, I'm there,
I will never leave you,
I am your God and my promises are true,
For I will never leave you.
By Clara Garner Milbourne
Copyright 2001 By Clara Garner Milbourne
(I dedicate this poem to every MIA/POW Family)
The next chapter of John Henry's story has been completed...
Camp Pendelton, California; the home of the 1st Marine Division, John Henry's Division,
had broken ground on a brand new Regimental Aid Station, and is now in operational as of June 2003.
The Station was named in honor of John Henry. I hope to get a a picture of the Regimental Aid Station,
when I am able to find someone who will take it and send it to me.
It's a fitting tribute to a man who choose to protect the lives of the men he served with.
"You can follow this link to the Charlie Company Memorial page CHARLIE COMPANY."
"All biographical and loss information on POW's provided by Operation Just Cause have been supplied by Chuck and Mary Schantag of POWNET. Please check with POWNET regularly for updates.
This site is owned by Frederick C. Mullis |