EODCM John P. Siegel (5 Oct 1965 - 6-Oct-2012)

(Provided by Jim Ryan)

I first met John during USN EOD Dive School, Panama City, FL. We were both Storkeepers, a source rating for EOD and SEALs. John and I had a second connection, we both arrived from Naval Stations out of Maryland; John from Indian Head and myself from Paxtuent River. What anyone who spent a hot minute with John knew - he was charming. A gregarious person that could talk easily to everyone. John and I became good friends at Dive School. We spent most of our liberty together playing golf, socializing with the locals and our shipmates, and taking one trip to New Orleans over a long weekend. We went on to EOD training together - sometimes in the same class and sometimes in a different class pending how well we progressed in school. Our Area “8” Class, an all Navy block of training, is odd among my pictures for all the heroes that left us early before their time, John is one of those hero’s. His Facebook Memorial is full of pictures from John’s long EOD career. He had touched so many lives.

(Provided by Jim Ryan) I’ll share a quick story with you from dive school that I’ll always remember and a few - those that prepared him for school can appreciate. John learned to swim just prior to coming to dive school. I mean swim proficiently. He had learned the combat swimmer sidestroke - one of two swimming styles allowed for the screening test. At dive school we received a lot of physical fitness training to include swimming. Early in training they brought us to the pool one afternoon to help us concentrate and work on our conditioning. The instructors had us line up to do sprints across the long end of the pool. As the training started the let us swim however we liked - John choose the combat side stoke, a slower stroke designed for long swims. He had chosen the outside lane, maybe because it was close to the side or maybe out of chance. We were already friends so I was in the same line. As we were swimming, all of us passed him and the instructors started to focus on John. They yelled swim “free style” or swim “crawl” shouting at John. I nearly drowned in the pool laughing as John called back, “I am” and kept his slower combat swimmer pace. John never looked crossed as they pulled him out to counsel him. Eventually, one instructor asked him if he knew freestyle and they all learned he did not. John was not one to want unnecessary attention - so he asked me if I could teach him free style. For several days after class, before we went to dinner John and I went to the pool. He was a quick learner. We were never stationed together - but we would call each other at least once a year - usually after we took the Chief’s exam to compare notes. John, who never backed away from a challenge - physical, social or mental - would undoubtedly be out front today supporting EOD Warfighter and Veterans’s issues. I wish I could share: Challenge - Run2022Miles4EODWF with John. I know he would ask “How can I help?” Those of us that knew him would naturally respond, “ John, you have done that already, Rest In Peace my friend your journey has come to end - we have it from here. “

(Provided by Jeff McCauley - Thank you Jeff)

John Siegel was one of the members of my Master EOD Tech Board.?He was also the EOD Group TWO Ops Department Master Chief.?I absolutely loved soaking up all the knowledge I could from John – and then we were stationed together in Millington, Tennessee as EOD Community Managers.

On one memorable occasion, we were sitting in a small room to participate in a video teleconference (VTC) with personnel from the Chief of Naval Personnel’s Office in Washington.?As we listened to the proceedings, it became apparent that – somehow – there was funding available for the EOD Master Technician Senior Retention Bonus.?How the money had materialized was not clear to either of us…but when the admiral on the other end asked what this ‘Navy SOF retention bonus’ was for, we readily affirmed that it was most definitely for the retention of Master EOD Technicians in the EOD Community.?Without hesitation, the money was aligned to the Master EOD Technician retention bonus!

Just a couple years later, John and I were both assigned to EOD Mobile Unit SIX.?John was absolutely RELENTLESS in supporting every Sailor – the KEGBUSTERS – in any situation.?He became a vociferous KEGBUSTER advocate to the board of naval corrections, to Navy Personnel Command and any Administrative Board our Sailors were involved in.??His passion to Serve Sailors was felt throughout the ranks; many EOD Mobile Unit SIX Sailors were notified of promotions resultant of additional promotion points identified by their CMC; nearly all of them were recognized by 25th Infantry Division for their 9 months of service in Iraq; others for their service aboard aircraft carriers and OIF/OEF deployments.?Not a single Sailor escaped John’s view – he was our ‘Good Shepherd’, tenaciously fighting for our Sailors.?In Iraq in 2009, Master Chief was the hands-down, absolute favorite among EOD Teams from all branches assigned to our EOD / Counter-IED Battalion in Multi-National Division- North in Iraq.

During our time in Iraq, John and I were summoned to Al Faw palace in Baghdad for Captain Frank Morneau’s promotion to Admiral.?Just prior to the ceremony – just after I was informed that I’d be pinning a star on the Admiral’s collar – John offered me coffee...emptying a fresh pitcher of the hot refreshment on my lap, all over my desert Cammie trousers and boots.?Typical of John, he was immediately and profusely apologetic...offering to trade pants and boots with me for the ceremony.

When Major General Robert Caslen, our Commanding General asked about the morale of our EOD Force, John never held back.?He strongly advocated – along with XO, LCDR Jeff Stebbins – for the welfare and well-being of the EOD Techs, and for the US Army EOD Force in particular.?They’d been in country the longest; the wear on their spirit not lost on John.??Despite unprecedented dust storms in 2009, John met with every team but one across our area of responsibility, making sure to be present whenever somebody was headed home from deployment or arriving into theater.

The ‘Ultimate Command Master Chief’, John had received a fantastic hand-off from Master Chief Shawn Davis.?As my time in command was coming to a close, I confessed to John, my Battle Buddy, after nearly two years of witnessing his silent frustration during our travels:??the songs on the radio – which I had credited to the WRONG BAND – I had done intentionally.?To put it mildly, John was really pissed off.?He had persevered in frustrated silence for nearly two years, enduring his CO’s ignorance of musicians and rock bands, as I consistently credited the ‘wrong band’ with singing a particular song.?It drove John Bat-shit crazy!??Exasperated, yet relieved, he said, ‘I am SO relieved….are you serious, Cap’n???I could NOT figure out how somebody so SMART could be so absolutely STUPID about music and rock bands…..and I never found the courage to TELL YOU how F’d up you are about MUSIC!’

I miss John’s laugh. I miss his gregarious personality, his passion for the Sailor – of Every Rating – and their Families, and I miss his ability to sleep almost anywhere.??I miss how exceptional he was at Everything we did; I miss him delivering the Chief’s Creed – from memory - to a fresh class of Chief Petty Officers.??Twice I eulogized John; neither time did I do his life on this earth Justice – but for all those Barrel-Chested White Hats out there – John loved you all.?He told me every damn day; and he was the best damn EOD Tech and Leader we could’ve had. Rest In Peace, KEGBUSTER.

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” - Tony Robbins

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