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Extended ohana
honors sailor
John House, killed in Iraq,
is remembered for his devotion
to his family and the Navy
In the first memorial service held at Pearl Harbor for a casualty of the war in Iraq, Hospital Corpsman John Daniel House was remembered yesterday as a devoted family member, a committed sailor and "Doc House" to the Kaneohe Marines of Charlie Company.
House, 28, was the lone sailor aboard a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter that crashed Jan. 26 in Iraq, killing him and 26 Marines from Kaneohe Bay's 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
Before yesterday's one-hour memorial service, Capt. Charles Barker, commander of Naval Health Clinic Hawaii and House's commanding officer, told reporters that the 625 members at the Pearl Harbor medical and dental clinic consider themselves to be part of an ohana.
"We're just pleased to honor his name today and the tremendous sacrifice he has given to those things that we value most dearly in our country," he said.
He said House was the unit's first casualty and that there is another Pearl Harbor corpsman recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Barker said he has 38 corpsmen now deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with Kaneohe Marines from the 1st and 3rd battalions and another 16 preparing to go in the next month and a half.
A portrait of Petty Officer John House, along with his hats and shoes, were displayed at the front of the Pearl Harbor chapel yesterday during memorial services for the Navy corpsman. He was one of the Hawaii-based servicemen killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Jan. 26.
"That's where the corpsmen are, right on the front lines with the troops. When you hear 'corpsman up,' there is no hesitation. They go forward, and they do what they need to do."
In his eulogy, Barker said House was so fond of country singer Johnny Cash that he named his first son after him. House never got to meet his son, James Cash House, who was born on Christmas Eve.
This was House's second tour in the region. When stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, House spent six months in Kuwait and Bahrain in 2002.
Before the service, House's father, Larry, read a statement drafted by his daughter-in-law, Melanie. She said: "This has been an extremely difficult time for our family, and the outpouring of support and condolences has been greatly appreciated. I am proud of the job my husband did. He was always hard-working and dedicated to serving his country. He was a good sailor and a committed Navy corpsman."
More than 300 people, including the widow of Lance Cpl. Joseph Spence, who also was killed in the helicopter crash, crowded into Pearl Harbor's main chapel.
Melanie House, widow of Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John House of Ventura, Calif., held the couple's infant son, James, yesterday during a memorial service at Pearl Harbor. John House had been deployed during the birth of his son and was never able to hold him.
In front of the pew sat Melanie House and their baby; House's parents, Larry and Susan; and his sister Elizabeth and brother James.
In her tearful eulogy, Elizabeth House said, "My big brother was the toughest guy in the world on the outside, but on the inside he had a heart bigger than most men."
She said that her brother once told her: "My parents made me. The Navy made me a man. Melanie made me whole."
The Pearl Harbor service began with a five-minute slide show detailing the life of the tattooed, lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Harley-Davidson motorcycle rider and Johnny Cash-worshipping Navy corpsman.
It ended with a photo of the son who House saw only once, via a blurry Internet connection 12 days after he was born, and the words, "You will be missed but not forgotten."
House was killed 19 days before he was scheduled to go home. He will be buried at Simi Valley in California.
Other memorials held yesterday
Services were held on the mainland yesterday for three of the 26 Kaneohe Marines killed in the Jan. 26 crash of a CH-53E military helicopter in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Brian Bland
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A crowd of at least 700 filled the Newcastle High School auditorium to remember Bland, 26, of Newcastle.
"Brian has finished the race. He has kept the faith," said the Rev. Leslie Barnett. "If you value what he has done, this sacrifice needs to be made meaningful through your lives."
More than 40 Marines were also at the service, the focal point of which was Bland's flag-draped coffin and a formal military photo of him.
A friend of Bland's, 1st Sgt. John Waddell, told the mourners he enjoyed serving with him.
"It's not cool to say 'I love you,' in the Marines," Waddell said. "I never told him I loved him, but I did."
Lance Cpl. Michael Starr Jr.
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Even before he graduated from Perry Hall High School, Starr worked hard to prepare himself for a military career that led him to Iraq. His unit was one of the first to enter Fallujah, where he was wounded and returned to battle.
His sister, Jennifer, tearfully told mourners gathered in front of his flag-covered casket that Starr was proud "to be a part of American history."
She said her brother lived a full life in his 21 years, describing him as a loving son and brother, a hero who always gave her "a shoulder to cry on."
"Michael is gone but he will never be forgotten," she said.
Lance Cpl. Brian C. Hopper
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Hopper was remembered for his three Purple Hearts, one awarded posthumously.
His brother, Lance Cpl. Patrick Hopper, also serving in Iraq, accompanied Brian Hopper's body home Tuesday.
Hopper's family said he had returned to active duty so he could stay in Iraq to serve with his comrades.
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