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<em>John Clayton Crump</em> was born in Reading, PA, the son of John and Mabel Crump. He is survived by his son Christopher and his wife Michele and two granddaughters, Katherine and Morgan. His father was a traveling salesman. As John said, “You name it; he sold it.” His mother taught school for a while but more importantly was a stay-at-home mom. When John was 15, he and his family moved to Attalla, AL. The move for John was like moving to a third world country until good fortune started smiling on John in the form of two great events. First, he met Juanita, his future wife, best friend, partner, and love of his life. The second was getting an appointment to West Point. John attended Jacksonville College before being sworn in as a cadet on Trophy Point on July 3, 1956.</p>
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As a cadet, John was generally able to keep the academic departments at bay, but he did have one very close encounter. At the end of plebe year he was “turned out” in German, and his resultant exam did not go well. Two German language instructors grading the exam were struggling to justify a passing grade but were one-tenth short of what their conscience would allow. They were just about to render a failing grade when they heard the band begin the Graduation Parade music which compelled them to simultaneously say the equivalent of “what the hell” and promptly granted John the necessary extra tenth. John was free and clear! Think about how slim was the divide between John being an ex-cadet versus a successful officer who served the Army well, retiring as a colonel of Field Artillery.</p>
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From the day he entered West Point, John looked forward to graduation. When that time finally came, John was commissioned in the U.S. Army Artillery.</p>
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John was fond of saying that he spent most of his 26-year military career with soldiers. After various early lieutenant assignments in Field Artillery in the Federal Republic of Germany, John returned to Fort Sill, OK for the Advanced Course, then on the Homestead AFB, FL for cross training as an air defender. It was during this short assignment that son Christopher was born. This was followed by his first tour with the 101st Airborne in the Republic of Vietnam. This tour was followed by a more relaxing tour teaching ROTC at the University of Alabama. John’s second tour in Vietnam followed, this time as a liaison officer with a Korean Infantry Regiment. He spent the next seven years between Fort Sill and Fort Leavenworth, KS with reserve component duty, Command and General Staff College, and finally as a tactics instructor in CGSC. In 1980, he and Juanita returned to Germany to command troops again. After graduating from the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, AL, he served a three-year tour as the inspector general at the Redstone Arsenal before retiring in 1986. John was very proud of the success that Juanita had with Army wife duties while at the same time accumulating more than 40 years in the classroom. As an Army wife Juanita Crump always reached out to befriend other military wives. Her charming manner, thoughtfulness and excellent culinary shills made her a perfect hostess. Her service with the Army Community was always a source of pride.</p>
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John retired in 1986 to Gurley, AL to a house they built during John’s assignment at Redstone. John worked for a small business for a short time, then sold and built Timber Frame homes and worked in real estate. At the same time Juanita was able to spend 17 years teaching in the same school until she retired in 2000. Juanita passed away in 2007, leaving a large void in John’s life.</p>
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After moving to Gurley in retirement, their son Chris graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, married Michele, and they have been blessed with two daughters, Katherine and Morgan. John always spoke fondly of his family, especially Katherine and Morgan and earned an “A” in grandfathering. He became an avid fan of their soccer teams and could not resist the opportunity to relate a story or two.</p>
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Whitepine, CO, an old mining town, also played an important part in John and Juanita’s lives. In 1973 they luckily discovered the town and fell in love with it. After a few visits they found an old miner’s house and purchased it in 1974. It served as their home base for the last 12 years of John’s military career and remained the family hideout during summers for the rest of their lives.</p>
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John had an abundant zest for life and the ability to make genuine friends. Although John did not attend the class reunions until after Juanita’s death, he was convinced to attend an L-1 mini reunion in 2007 in Santa Fe, NM. From that time until his passing, he enthusiastically attended every succeeding mini reunion. All of his companymates looked forward to his company and his humor. In his later years he stayed busy with remodeling projects, gardening and hiding each summer in the mountains of Colorado. John, known as “Crumper” by his companymates, is missed by all of us.</p>
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<em>— His L-1 Classmates</em></p>