John Wharton

John was born and raised in the “patch” section of Dunmore, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Dunmore High School in 1986, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, joining the 1st Battalion of the 109th Infantry Regiment, where he served in various companies as 11B (Infantry), 11H (antiarmor Infantryman), 11C (mortarman) and 11M (mechanized Infantry) for 22 years. He has deployed overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and has also been activated for state active duty during numerous floods, blizzards and other state of emergencies as a Keystone Citizen-Soldier.
In the civilian world, John has worked in the past for the Abington Journal and AT&T. Since 2006, he has worked as a corrections officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
His hobbies include: role playing games, shooting, and creative writing.
In 2000, John married the love of his life, Andrea and the two are proud parents of a daughter and a son.
John has worked for years to end suicide in the Veteran community; creating a local group called Vocal Veterans, and among state correctional staff as a part of the DOC program Correctional Outreach for Veteran and Employee Reintegration (COVER).