LtCol John R. Stevens, USMC, Ret.

USMC IN THE PACIFIC

Biography Of Lieutenant Colonel John Stevens usmc retired

On 1 May 1962, LtCol John R. Stevens retired from the Marine Corps after nearly 23 years of service to the Corps.

John Stevens was born on April 22, 1921 in Butte , Montana .

LtCol Stevens enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1939. After completing boot training at the Recruit Depot in San Diego , and attending Field Telephone School at the Signal Detachment, San Diego , he was assigned to the 1st Defense Battalion. The 1st Defense Battalion was moved to Pearl Harbor in February 1941 aboard the USS Enterprise. Detachments of the 1st Defense Battalion were sent to Wake Island, Palmyra Island and Johnson Island . Late in 1941, LtCol Stevens, then Sgt, was among a group from the 1st Defense Battalion who were sent to Midway on a relief mission, returning shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, the remnants of the 1st Defense Battalion that were still at Pearl Harbor were moved to Palmyra Island . LtCol Stevens was field commissioned a second lieutenant, from Master Technical Sergeant, in August 1942, on Palmyra . Subsequent to that he was sent back to Midway to act as the communications officer for Sand Island .

Lt Stevens returned to the U.S. in July 1943. After a short tour as a coding officer for Gen HM Smith., at Camp Elliot , he was assigned to Fort Monmouth , New Jersey for further training. This was followed by a number of other training assignments before being assigned to the 1st Marine Division in 1944 as executive officer of the 1st Signal Company, on Pavuvu Island , Russell Island group. While in this capacity, LtCol Stevens, then Capt, participated in the assault and subsequent occupation of Okinawa .

From August 1945 until June 1946, Capt Stevens served as the communications officer of the 7th Marines during the occupation of North China, based at Peitaiho Beach , North China . He returned to the U.S. in June 1946. After a tour as communications officer at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego , then Capt Stevens was sent to a one year tour at the electronic engineering school in Great Lakes, after which LtCol Stevens joined the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton . He was assigned as the commanding officer, A Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 1949 and took that unit to Korea as part of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in July 1950. While in Korea he participated in the Pusan Perimeter campaign, the Inchon landing and capture of Seoul , the Wonsan Landing, and the Chosin Reservoir Campaign up to the end of November 1950.

Returning to the United States , LtCol Stevens was assigned to various tours, including Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks Naval Supply Center , Oakland ; as assistant G3, Parris Island Recruit Training Depot, Senior Instructor Weapons Training Group Basic School, Quantico ; Student Junior Amphibious Warfare School ; and Commanding Officer Headquarters Battalion, Basic School . This was followed by a tour at the University of Maryland , where he received a BS Degree in Military Science.

Subsequent to that, LtCol Stevens was assigned, under the cross training program, to the 2nd Marine AirWing at Cherry Point, N.C., where he served in various general staff assignments for two years. Following that assignment, LtCol Stevens joined the 1st Marine Brigade in Kaneohe , Hawaii in July 1959, as assistant G3.

From June 1960 to July 1961, he was Executive Officer of the 4th Marine Regiment, Reinforced and in July 1961 until retirement, was assigned as the Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Brigade.

Following his retirement, he joined IBM where he served in various systems engineering and marketing management positions.

He left IBM in 1969 to found a software consulting company specializing in the insurance industry. In 1980 that company entered in to a joint venture with Quotron Systems and the Continental Corporation to market turnkey hardware/software computer systems to the independent insurance agency market place. He left the active management of that company (Insurnet) to co-found a new telecommunications management company in 1983. That company became public in 1987. Leaving the active management of that company in 1986, he founded an information management company, Stellar Net, where he served as the Chief Executive Officer until 2001.

A recap of business executive positions held by John Stevens is as follows:

• Chairman and Founder 1969-Current American Information Development, Inc.
• Chairman 1971-1974 Life Equity Information, Inc.
• President 1980-1983 Insurnet, Inc.
• Vice Chairman 1983-1985 Insurnet, Inc.
• Co-founder,Chairman, CEO and President 1983-1985 Centex Telemanagement, Inc.
• Vice Chairman 1985-1989 Centex Telemanagement, Inc.
• Founder and Chairman 1987-2001 Stellarnet, Inc
• Chairman 1986-2001 Industrial Work Hardening Center
• Other Positions:
• Past President Pacific Heights Homeowners Association.
• Vice President and Founder Honolulu Civitan Club
• Past President Northern California Chapter 1st Marine Division Association
• Past Vice President 1st Marine Division Association (National)
• Past Deputy Vice President, West, 1st Marine Division Association
• Past Board Member Marine Memorial Association, San Francisco CA
• Past Board Member VantageMed Corporation, Sacramento Ca
• Past Board Member Collimated Holes, Los Gatos Ca
• Founding President of the Chosin Few Golden Gate Chapter
• Member, Marine Corps Coordinating Council of San Francisco
• Board member, USS San Francisco Memorial Foundation

John Stevens’s awards

• 2 Bronze Star Medals with Combat Vs
• Combat Action Ribbon
• PUC with 2 Stars
• Good Conduct Medal
• China Service Medal
• American Defense Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal/ 2 stars
• American Campaign Medal
• Victory Medal WWII
• National Defense Service Medal
• Korean Service Medal with 3 Stars
• UN Service Medal
• Korean PUC

John is married to Joanne (Jody) Stevens, formerly Jody Swartz.

He has four children; Carole Ann Clark in Great Falls Mt, Mitch in Benicia , Sherry Wilson in Belize and Steve in Walnut Creek . He has 7 grand-children and 9 great grand-children.