Alpharetta Resident Earns Purple Heart for Afghanistan Combat Tour

By Gunnery Sgt. Alexis Mulero

JOINT EXPEDITIONARY BASE LITTLE CREEK-FORT STORY, Va. - Longtime Carrollton and Alpharetta, Ga., resident John M. North was presented the Purple Heart during a ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek – Fort Story, Va., March 2.

North was presented this award for wounds received in action, Oct. 19, 2009, while serving in a combat tour in Afghanistan.

The Purple Heart was established by Gen. George Washington on August 7, 1782, and is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who have been killed or wounded in action. It is the fifth highest combat award in the United States military.

North was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer in 2007, after completing a bachelor's degree from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Since being commissioned, he has planned, coordinated, and provided logistical support to units across the Marine Corps both at home and forward deployed. He has twice deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The class of 2003 graduate is currently serving as a logistics officer with the Coordination, Liaison and Assessment Team at Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group in Virginia Beach, Va.

His father, Wendell North, resides in Carrollton and his mother, Anise Castleberry, resides in Alpharetta.

Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group is a unit in the Marine Corps that coordinates, manages, executes, and evaluates United States Marine Corps Security Cooperation programs and activities, to include assessment, planning, related education and training, and advisor support to ensure unity of effort in building Partner Nation Security Forces capacity and capability in order to facilitate USMC and regional Marine Forces component support to combatant commanders security cooperation objectives.