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John J. Saldana Sunrise: December 4th, 1959 Sunset: May 15th, 2026 John was the third child born to Juan M. & Herlinda G. Saldana on December 4th, 1959. John’s upbringing was often a challenge being flanked between his two older sisters, Linda & Cindy and two younger sisters Sylvia & Debbie! His father Juan M. Saldana, who passed away, in March 2007 doted on him in his early years as John participated in CYO baseball & later as Guard with the South San High School Bobcat Basketball team. John was a 1978 graduate of South San High School & his father’s proudest moments was when he handed John his high school diploma in June of 1978. After graduating High School, John enlisted in the United States Army, finally settling in with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. John was deployed to Grenada for the United States led Invasion of Grenada in Operation Urgent Fury in October 26th 1983. The 82nd Airborne secured Point Salines Airport. Once secured, The 82nd Airborne Division rescued 600 students from St. George’s University Medical School. He also served in tactical Army Operations in Panama. Although John’s service to his country was not lifelong, it had a profound affect on him personally. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord & Savior in the 1990’s & was a voracious student of God’s infallible word, The Bible, read many versions & had confirmed his strong faith most recently. He attended many Non-Denomination Churches: however as his health declined in recent years & became wheelchair bound, he attended the church across the street where he lived for many years. John was a loner & often may have felt misunderstood; the ravages of war left an indelible mark on him as it is with many soldiers of war & it is something he kept to himself his entire life. Living alone with health issues limited him & he probably felt like he would die in obscurity, but that is the furthest from the truth. The Brotherhood of the 82nd Airborne acknowledged his recent passing by 2,778 people on Facebook & over one thousand words of condolences, memories & prayers for his family. One of his Army Comrades, Kevin Roach wrote “OMG, that is Doc Saldana. He was my friend, we use to jump together & when I got hurt on a jump he was there with me.” He went on to say he was a Medic in the 1st 319th. John is survived by his sisters, a brother & his mother.

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John J. Saldana

December 4, 1959 - May 15, 2026