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.
