John Joseph Jennings was born in 1950 in Salzburg, Austria, to Mr. and Mrs. George Jennings. The Jennings family also included two daughters, Linda Sue and Carolyn. John was raised in Watsonville and attended Pajaro Valley elementary schools. His parents later divorced and his father moved to South Lake Tahoe, California. His mother remarried Charles Jack and remained in Watsonville. John entered Watsonville High School in 1964 and graduated in 1968.

After graduation, Jennings enlisted in the US Navy and was sent to the US Naval Training Center in San Diego for boot camp. Following advanced training in his specialty area, Jennings was assigned to the crew of the cruiser USS St. Paul. During his tour aboard the vessel, it was deployed with the Seventh Fleet off the coast of South Vietnam and provided gunfire support to allied troops.

Early in 1971, Jennings was diagnosed with infectious hepatitis and admitted into the US Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington. On February 23, 1971, John Joseph Jennings succumbed to the disease. His body was returned to Watsonville and following a funeral, was interred in Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.

(WRP, February 25,1971, Pajaro Valley MP headstone; DANFS, USS St. Paul CA-73)