John J. Lavelle was born on September 30, 1950, to Henry and Amy Lavelle. His home of record is Bayonne, NJ. John had two brothers, Henry and Joseph, and a sister, Teresa. He attended Star of the Sea Grammar School and Bayonne High School.
Lavelle enlisted in the US Army when he was 17 years old. Over his career, he attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4).
He trained as a parachute rigger at the Army Quartermaster School in Fort Lee, VA, and later completed a three-week course at Fort Benning, GA, which qualified him as a parachutist. Lavelle was stationed in Germany prior to being sent to Southeast Asia.
On July 29, 1970, at the age of 19, Lavelle was killed in action in Vietnam.
Sources: Newspaper clippings and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
