John Weber entered the camp through his great-great-great grandfather, Private John Boggs, Company H of the 50th Virginia Infantry. This company was raised in Wise County, Virginia and was known as the “Wise County Yankee Chasers”. Private Boggs was killed in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863. John’s widow, Ursla Ison Boggs, moved to Letcher County soon after the war. Her daughter, Martha Boggs, married Jesse Caudill, grandson to Stephen Caudill, the Revolutionary Soldier and first cousin to Colonel Benjamin Caudill. The war for John was definitely a “Brother against Brother” tragedy as four of his brothers enlisted in the Confederate Army and two in the Union Army. He was along side his brother James at the Battle of Chancellorsville when James lost his left arm. John was buried in an unmarked grave after the Battle of Gettysburg. Our camp set an In Memory tombstone for him in the R.B. Caudill Cemetery at Whitco, Letcher County beside the grave of his grandson, Watson Caudill.

John is the son of John David Weber and Cheryl Ann Carr. Upon graduation from Fallston High School in Maryland on June 1, 2001, he entered the Marines. After basic training, he completed the School of Infantry on September 11. He then was selected to guard the Commandant at Marine Barracks 8th. Apparently making an impression on his superior officers, he was transferred to Camp David on April 8, 2002. Several times, one of our own guarded the President of the United States! During the next two years while stationed here, he rose in rank to corporal. He asked for and received a transfer to a Marine unit that was going to Afghanistan. On February 18, 2004, he was transferred to the Second Platoon Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. On May 4th, he and his battalion departed from Cherry Point, North Carolina, for Afghanistan. He and his company were transported by helicopter to Naray at the Konar Valley Forward Observation Base on the Konar River. He spent the next three months patrolling and ambushing enemy fighters in this area. Also, during this time, John’s company joined forces with an Army Special Forces team to track down and capture high-ranking officers of the ACM. While doing this, he lost three of his comrades while engaged in combat. Near the end of July, his platoon left Naray and went to Asadabad to participate in Operation Chainsaw, an attempt to capture a high-ranking member of the ACM. From here he continued seeing more of Afghanistan as his platoon patrolled in the Khowst Province in Salerno. They then moved to Gardez to join with a Providence Reconstruction Team of the Army. Their mission was to search for High Value Targets (enemy officers) and to protect and support the new Afghanistan elections. During these operations, they ambushed and captured several enemy fighters that were attempting to disrupt the election process.

After the elections, John’s company was transferred back to the Khowst Province to perform security for the military base there. During December, they fought the cold and insurgents, never getting much rest due to constant rocket attacks. At this time, John re-enlisted and was promoted to sergeant. He was transferred to the Marine’s Intelligence Operations and brought back to the United States. He will be attending a school for Imagery Analyst at San Angelo, Texas. Upon completion of this school, he will be transferred to the Marine Air Station at Beaufort, South Carolina. His long-term plan is to either work in Joint Command or the Defense Intelligence Agency.

John loves to hunt and fish as well as read about the War of Southern Independence. He is proud of his southern heritage and hopes to someday come to one of the camp’s meetings to meet his southern band of brothers...

Adjutant Richard Brown