BROKEN ARROW -- Capt. John J. Boria was a decorated pilot who flew refueling missions over Iraq and put his family, church and friends ahead of himself, friends said Wednesday.

Boria, 29, of Broken Arrow, died Sunday from injuries he received in a noncombat, all-terrain vehicle accident in Doha, Qatar.

Boria, a pilot instructor who flew KC-135 air refueling missions over Iraq out of Qatar, had been deployed to Qatar in June, a spokesman at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. said.

The pilot was assigned to the 911th Air Refueling Squadron from Grand Forks AFB and had been deployed previously on overseas assignments.

Boria, who was of Pueto Rican descent, held the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal with the Oak Leaf Cluster, Grand Forks AFB officials said.

The 1993 graduate of Tulsa's Union High School went through the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo., graduating in 1998, and also had spent some time at Vance Air Force Base at Enid.

He was single and the son of John and Wanda Boria, who went to Qatar after hearing of his death Sunday.

Funeral services are pending with Stanleys Funeral Home, which said Boria's body will be flown to Colorado Springs for burial at the Air Force Academy cemetery following services locally.

Among close friends of the Boria family are Ken and Marcia Allison of Broken Arrow, who also have a son, Russell, serving as an Air Force pilot.

"He was filled with valor and kindness. He was always doing something for somebody else," Marcia Allison said of Boria.

Because the Allisons' son also is a pilot, Marcia Allison said her family and the Boria family "share a common bond for the love of our Air Force children.

"We give our kids back to our country, and sometimes that is not easy to do."

She noted that Boria was an organ donor, noting "that is just like John -- to do something for somebody else."

Describing the Boria family members as "wonderful Christians," Marcia Allison said the Air Force captain was a regular churchgoer and made it a point to attend church services when he was home on leave.

Boria's father is an American Airlines employee and his mother is a nurse, friends said. They also have a son attending a seminary in Florida.

Meanwhile, a Marine from Lawton was one of seven Marines killed this week in a suicide-bomb attack west of Baghdad.

Killed was Lance Cpl. Lamont N. Wilson, 20.

Wilson was a rifleman who joined the Marine Corps on June 2, 2003. His personal awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and the National Defense Service Medal.

All seven of the Marines were based at Camp Pendleton in California.

Rob Martindale 581-8367
rob.martindale@tulsaworld.com

BORKEN ARROW -- In life, Capt. John J. Boria bonded with his band of brothers in the U.S. Air Force. In death, he offered life to others, his mother said Friday.

The 1993 graduate of Union High School and member of the U.S. Air Force Academy class of 1998, died Sept. 6 from injuries suffered Aug. 31 in a recreational vehicle accident in Doha, Qatar. "We are going to celebrate his life, not his death," his mother, Wanda, said Friday on behalf of her husband, John, and the captain's brother, Joey.

John X. and Wanda Boria reside in Broken Arrow. Joey Boria, who is home, is a seminary student in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Joe Boria has a strong spiritual background, "but he is missing his brother," the mother said.

The parents and brother were in Doha at the captain's bedside when he died after having been kept alive on life support.

Following the service in Broken Arrow, Boria's body will be taken to Colorado Springs, Colo., for burial Thursday in the Air Force Academy cemetery.

That, his father and mother said, is the way John Boria would have had it.

While at the academy, he and other classmates had a special inscription put inside their graduation rings.

"A friend that sticks closer than a brother," it reads.

In death, John J. Boria was a friend to others in need.

Boria was an organ donor, and his kidneys were made available for other patients at the Hamad General Hospital in Doha.

Arrangements were made to fly his heart to Saudia Arabia.

Plans were discussed on how to help others through his life and other organs.

"We pray that his organs are functioning and giving life to others. Our son's wish was to give life to other people," his mother said.

Boria, a member of the 911th Refueling Squadron from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., was deployed to Qatar in June. He was scheduled to be home next week, his family said.

He had served on previous deployments to other overseas countries.

He was riding a recreational, all-terrain vehicle, accompanied by a friend on another vehicle, over sand dunes, when the accident occurred. An investigation is continuing, but it is believed that he suffered fatal wounds to an artery in his neck and to to the head.

His mother, a registered nurse, said he received excellent care at the hospital, but his condition was fatal because of the severe bleeding and injuries.

Boria was somewhat laid back, but he enjoyed the camaraderie he shared with his Air Force buddies, the parents said.

His mother said she wants her son to be known as somebody who helped other people. That apparently is the case.

Since his death, the family has received frequent letters, flowers, visits and prayer offerings, many from people they never knew before. A captain wrote that "your son had tremendous integrity, was fiercefully loyal, and consistently strove to do what was right. He was a good man, a loyal friend and a noble patriot."

"We send them our heartfelt thanks," Wanda Boria said of those who have contacted the family. "We ask them to keep praying for the next few weeks, which will be very difficult."

To her son, she said, military life was about "a band of brothers. It was not about politics to them or who is president. It is about pride for your country."

His favorite Bible verse in John 15 states, depending on the translation, that "no greater love has a man than he lay down his life for his friends," his mother said.

John Boria's father, an employee at American Airlines, said members of the armed forces stationed overseas in the war on terrorism make huge personal sacrifices to serve their country.

They miss births and birthdays of children, holidays like Christmas, and being with relatives, among other things most Americans take for granted, he said.

"It is hard," the father of Capt. John J. Boria said.

Rob Martindale 581-8367
rob.martindale@tulsaworld.com

BORIA -- Captain John Javier "JB," beloved son of John and Wanda, and brother, Joey. Loved by all his extended family, family friends and all his USAF brothers and sisters. Went home to be with his Lord and Savior in Doha, Qatar, on September 6, 2004, after suffering injuries as a result of an all terrain vehicle accident. John was a 1993 Union High School graduate, USAF Academy graduate 1998 and Vance AFB pilot training in 1999, assigned to Grand Forks AFB N.D. As a pilot to the KC-135 aircraft 319th Air Refueling wing. Service, 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at the Broken Arrow Assembly of God Church, 200 East Broadway. Interment at the USAF Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO. Donations may be made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation or favorite group that supports our veterans. Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings: And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, The high untrespassed sancity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God . . . Stanley's, 918-743-6271.

Joey Boria, a seminary student, salutes the flag-draped casket of his
brother, Air Force Capt. John Javier Boria, during his funeral Tuesday.
Boria, 29, died in a noncombat accident in Qatar. Photo: JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World.

BROKEN ARROW -- Saluting his life and the country he served, the family of Air Force Capt. John Javier Boria formally turned him over to his God on Tuesday. Boria will be buried in Colorado Springs, Colo., in the cemetery of the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he graduated in 1998.

He died of injuries suffered Sept. 6 when a recreational all-terrain vehicle he was driving over sand dunes crashed in the vicinity of Doha, Qatar. Boria was a 1993 graduate of Union High School in Tulsa and had undergone training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid.

Along with family members and friends, several members of the Air Force attended the service. Some of them served as pallbearers with Boria's brother, Joey Boria, who attends a seminary in Florida.

Boria's father, John X. Boria, works at American Airlines. His mother, Wanda Boria, is a nurse.

The captain, an instructor and KC-135 pilot, was a member of the 319th Air Refueling Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., and was deployed to Qatar in June.

He also had been deployed previously on overseas assignments.

At Tuesday's funeral, which the family called a celebration of Boria's life, Pastor Roger Nix noted that Boria had been on missions over Iraq.

"He never hesitated to put his life in harm's way," and he "was willing to lay down his life," Nix said.

Mementos of Boria's life flanked the flag-draped casket in the church.

Pictures on display showed him with his family and his Air Force buddies. In one, he was in full dress uniform, and another showed him in his Union High School football uniform.

A wreath held two flags and the Air Force crest.

Also on display were his Air Force uniform, a cap with captain's bars, flight boots and other personal items.

Portions of several letters from officers who served with Boria were read at the service.

Boria's life was "a light we are here to celebrate today," the pastor said.

Telling the family that "God is the God of all comfort," Nix told them "to let (Boria) go" to his God without giving up memories of him.

"God," he said, "knows what it is like to lose a son."

Boria was an organ donor, and several of his organs were made available for others.

Also participating in the service was Pastor Victor Cruz, who said Boria's death "is heaven's gain . . . Heaven opened up and saluted."

Rob Martindale 581-8367
rob.martindale@tulsaworld.com

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