Lance Corporal · United States Marine Corps
John Kinslow
Co-Founder, GayVeterans.us
- Unit
- 1st Battalion, 8th Marines
- Duty
- Field Radio Operator
- Home
- North Dakota
Born Hagerstown, Maryland - Date of death
- 12 September 2026
- End of active service
- May 1985
- Enlistment
- Open contract, April Fool’s Day
Inscription
“I want people to remember those who gave their lives to this country because they believed in it.” John Kinslow
In his own words
The man
Being in the transition period between Boomers and GenX. I was born in Hagerstown, MD the second youngest of 10 kids. We moved to just North of my current home in ND when I was 5.
While a Junior I joined the Army National Guard to help my mom with bills. While a Senior I signed my enlistment contract with The Corps. I signed up open contract on April Fool’s day. Why the Marines… both of my martial arts teachers instructors are Marines and reverse psychologyed the hell outta me telling me I would NEVER make it through. 13 weeks later (yeah I spent a week in PCP) I returned to the dojo a United States Marine. Senpai held out his hand to Sensei. The bet was $50.
My AIT was at MCCES 29 Palms for radar repair technician (didn’t make it). The next duty station was 8th Marines on Camp Geiger for Field radio operator course. Upon graduation I was assigned to 1/8 who was in preparations for deployment. We were assigned to be part of the Multinational Peacekeeping Forces of the UN.
While serving in Beirut Lebanon, I was a survivor of the terrorist attack on Oct. 23/1983. Due to being nondeployable, I ended my Marine service in May of 1985.
23 October 1983
They came in peace
Lance Corporal John Kinslow of Valley City, North Dakota, was twenty years old and sleeping in the Battalion Landing Team headquarters when a suicide truck bomb destroyed the building. The blast threw him from one side of the structure to the other. He was wounded in the elbow, nose, right ear, left hand, and right foot, where an artery was torn. A corpsman gave him morphine. He was flown to USS Iwo Jima. Two of his best friends died a few feet from him.
“I was in shock. I tried getting up using my right hand, but my elbow gave way. I passed out from blood loss and shock.”
The Dickinson Press, 2019“There was chaos on the Iwo Jima. There were bodies everywhere. I was sad and angry. These were guys I had served with and now they were gone.”
The Dickinson Press, 2019“I want people to remember those who gave their lives to this country because they believed in it. Two of my best friends died just feet from me. Why were they taken and not me?”
The Dickinson Press, 2019GayVeterans.us
The watch
John Kinslow survived the 23 October 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut. He came home. Decades later he helped found GayVeterans.us so LGBTQ veterans would have a place that did not ask them to hide. He was a radio operator, a Marine, a co-founder, and one of us. The watch is ours now.
A formal obituary will be linked here when the family is ready.
14 honors rendered