John Chung was born in Seoul, South Korea on May 25, 1975. At 3 years old, John’s family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he attended nursery school, elementary, middle school and graduated from high school in 1993.
John attended West Point Army College, graduating and receiving his Army commission in 1997. He then began active service in the United States, South Korea, Kuwait, Germany, Bosnia, and two tours in Iraq. He received multiple medals and decorations. In 2011, he was honorably discharged from active duty holding the rank of Major.
He then moved to Hawaii and began to prepare for an MBA. During that time, he also became a fitness trainer. John made many friends and was a kind and generous man. He donated a lot of his time to help others. He volunteered at the Hawaiian Humane Society (Hawaii ASPCA) and Meals on Wheels. John joined Team Rubicon in January 2014 and shortly after, was appointed to our leadership team as the Hawaii Field Operations Coordinator.
John Chung (front center) joined the Hawaii team for last April’s Run As One hike at Makapu’u Makani Pahili.
Even though John was an incredibly busy person, he was always very supportive throughout the year, joining our March 2014 Orientation Potluck, our last-minute Run As One hike at Makapu’u Makani Pahili, providing EOC support for Operation: Steadfast, and almost single-handedly pulling together the November 2014 Orientation Potluck. John also got a chance to meet and have drinks with several of Team Rubicon’s leaders, including IMT Chief Vince Moffitt and co-founders Jake Wood and William McNulty.
John was determined to make others smile, as evidenced by the majority of photos he was featured in.
Sadly, just this past December, John was involved in a motorcycle accident that took his life. Even though he is physically gone, he will always be with us. We will always remember him as a fun, happy, wicked smart, super goofy guy; always with a smile on his face, striving to look ridiculous in pictures. We miss you, John.
