Loving, caring and passionate. Those are the three words Crystal Beale uses to describe her late husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class John Beale.
Crystal and John were high school sweethearts from Riverdale, Georgia, who met through the Riverdale Senior High School Air Force Junior ROTC program. It was through their shared involvement in the drill team that they truly got to know each other.
“He was fiery and had a very addictive laugh,” said Crystal. “If he was laughing, everyone was laughing.”
John graduated high school in 1988 and enlisted in the U.S. Army the following year. The two married after Crystal graduated, then they headed to Fort Riley, Kansas, for John’s first assignment.
He performed maintenance on AH-64 Apache helicopters in the 1st Infantry Division, known as the “Big Red One” for its iconic shoulder patch insignia. John later deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Storm, and upon his return, received orders to Illesheim, Germany.
The Beales left Germany in 1995 when John decided to end his active-duty service and pursue a college education. They returned home to Riverdale, Georgia, the place where it all began.
Crystal and John both landed jobs in the area, and John began attending night classes at Clayton State University, working toward a degree in world history. In 1996, they welcomed their first child, Christopher, into the world.
“It was a little crazy for the first three years, juggling both of us working, having our first child, and his attending college at night,” said Crystal. “We stayed focused. It was hard, but we knew the end goal would be to have college under his belt.”
Life settled into a steady rhythm over the next several years. Despite the long hours and hectic schedules, they remained committed to their goals, leaning on each other for strength through every challenge.
They celebrated the arrival of their daughter, Calye, in May of 2001, and in September, like millions of Americans, their world was shaken by the tragic events of 9/11, a day that would forever change the course of the nation, and, ultimately, their own lives.
“That’s when John and I sat down and had a talk,” said Crystal. “He still craved the military. It was in his blood. Some people have that drive, some don't, and others may never understand it, but I did."
The couple decided to delay rejoining the military, especially with a newborn at home. Three years later, after speaking with friends in the Georgia Army National Guard, they made the decision for John to pursue that path.
John continued working full-time, and for one weekend per month, and two weeks of annual training per year, he proudly donned his uniform to drill with the GAARNG as a cavalry scout.
One person who knew John well, while in uniform, was William Carraway, a Major in the GAARNG’s 473rd Theater Public Affairs Support Element who also serves full-time as the civilian Historian for the GAARNG headquartered at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Georgia.
Carraway, a newly minted Specialist and cavalry scout fresh out of basic training at the time, first met John, then a Sergeant, during annual training in the summer of 2005 at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
John was sitting at the end of the barracks bay as Carraway and a fellow soldier headed out for training. They invited John to join them at the Bradley simulator, a training tool that replicates the interior and weapon systems of the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
“We kidnapped him,” said Carraway. “We needed a crew of three to operate the simulator and from then on out we were thick as thieves.”
Shortly after completing annual training, the unit was activated to support Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. They mobilized to Biloxi, Mississippi, where they assisted with recovery operations. Carraway and John were assigned to patrol duty together during the mission.
“He was an incredible leader, whether it was during the Katrina mission, at drill, or preparing Soldiers to deploy overseas,” said Carraway. “He was all about taking care of Soldiers.”
John’s leadership qualities were evident at home, too. While many knew him by his name or rank, to his kids, Christopher and Calye, he was simply ‘dad’.
Whenever Crystal brought home a bag of peanut M&Ms from the grocery store, she’d have to stow it in a clever, out-of-reach spot.
“I’d have to hide it from him and the kids,” said Crystal. “The man absolutely loved peanut M&Ms.”
Every so often, John would rally the kids for a candy-hunting adventure, rummaging through cabinets and drawers like treasure hunters on a quest.
“From another room I’d hear him whispering, then all of a sudden I’d hear that bag rattle,” said Crystal. “I’d come out and they’d all look guilty with their mouthful of M&Ms. It was like I was looking at three children, from the ages of 4 to 30-something.”
Glances would pass between John, the kids, and Crystal, and laughter would fill the house, creating memories in the quiet corners of everyday life. Memories sparked by something as small as a bag of M&Ms and transformed into a moment they would all carry with them.
In 2009, those M&M quests had to pause as John received orders to deploy with the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He notified his employer, put his education on hold, and deployed to Afghanistan as part of the first training group responsible for preparing Afghan security and police forces to build a sustainable defense force capable of defending Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. John Beale was killed in action on June 4, 2009, after sustaining injuries from an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire while traveling in a convoy through Kapisa Province in northeastern Afghanistan. He was posthumously promoted to Sgt. 1st Class.
“If you had to ask him why he was going to Afghanistan or why he went back in the army, it was so he could make a difference,” said Crystal. “That was the kind of person he was. He was very selfless.”
John had completed two years at Clayton State University, earning an associate degree, and after he was laid to rest, the university honored his commitment by awarding him a bachelor’s degree posthumously, which Crystal accepted on his behalf.
“We had the real talk before his deployment,” said Crystal. “He said, ‘you know Crystal, if anything ever happens to me, please make sure the kids get their education’.”
Their son, Christopher, went on to graduate from John’s alma mater earning a bachelor’s degree in business management and human resources. Their daughter, Calye, also pursued higher education and graduated from the University of North Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Moved by John’s story, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, reached out to Crystal in 2023 to request her permission to name a new survey vessel in his honor.
“I was excited when I got the call,” said Crystal. “I thought it was very special, very heartwarming that the Corps does this. It’s a beautiful way to honor my husband and others.”
During the call, Crystal spoke about John’s full-time role at the Clayton County Water Authority, where they were both employed at the time, and couldn’t help but notice the parallels between his responsibilities in the Stormwater Department and the vital missions the vessel would carry out for the District.
“John’s job was to go out and check the streams and waterways, testing water quality for the county,” said Crystal. “So, when I was told about the boat and they type of work it would be doing, I thought, ‘what a God-wink’.”
The vessels will serve a crucial role throughout the Savannah District’s area of responsibility, which includes major waterways like the Savannah Harbor, the third busiest container port in the U.S.; the Brunswick Harbor, the nation’s largest roll-on/roll-off port; and the 161-mile stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway along Georgia’s coast. They will support essential missions such as surveying channel conditions, monitoring dredging operations, detecting underwater obstacles, and transporting personnel and equipment to project sites.
The Beale will be used to perform hydrographic surveys on waterways where a more compact draft vessel is required, including in-shore surveys before and after dredging, as well as tasks related to the District’s three dam and lake projects. It will be capable of mounting newer technology for multi-beam and side scan sonar surveying, something not possible on the legacy vessel.
The District officially added three new hydrographic survey vessels to its fleet last month after final inspections were completed at the Fowl River Marina in Theodore, Alabama, April 8, 2025.
Each vessel will feature a dedication plaque mounted on its exterior. Crystal hopes that whenever someone sees the plaque honoring her husband, they take a moment to reflect on the person, the life, the service, and the story beyond it.
“Even though he is not there physically, he is always there in spirit,” said Crystal.
Over the years, John’s legacy has lived on through family, friends, treasured stories, and timeless memories — and now, it takes on a powerful new form: a 23-foot vessel dedicated to serving and protecting the waterways of his beloved home state.