John E. Craig II

John was born in Webster Grove, Missouri, and was a descendant of Governor William Bradford, who was one of the original Mayflower settlers. He was educated at Harvard, where he was a member of the Class of ’56. Later, he earned a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma. He served thirty years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a full colonel.

John’s first assignment in the Air Force was to be in charge of a tiny Armed Forces Radio Station in Dharan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in 1957. He eventually became a nuclear missile officer, and was the executive officer for a Titan II missile wing in Kansas. John graduated from the National War College and served as a senior staff officer in the Pentagon as well as at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe in Belgium.

John helped to serve as a mentor to many people, whether it was Harvard students on summer internships in Washington, D.C., or distant cousins who were working at U.S. Embassies in Latin America. He was a member of the Army Navy Club in Washington, D.C., and sponsored several senior U.S. military officers for membership there. John also helped an Afghan interpreter move to America, and was kind enough to let them live with him until they could find permanent housing.

After retiring from the Air Force, John was the director of the National War College Alumni Association, and travelled the world. He once flew to Muscat, Oman to visit a National War College graduate who was serving as an Omani general there. Another time, he took the Trans-Siberian Express with some of his Harvard classmates from Vladivostok, Russia to Moscow, travelling across eight time zones, and visiting China and Mongolia.

He was always generous, opening his home and buying steaks for visitors from out of town, and letting passersby help themselves to pears from the tree in his front yard. He survived by his cousins, Ada “Holly” Shissler, John L. Shissler III, and Timothy Tyler. In remembrance of John, friends and family are asked to make contributions to the Air Force Association.

Memorial service will take place on January 24, 2026 at 11am at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA 22203.

Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined.