By all accounts, the aerial bombardment that killed Johnathan A. Pebley in May was the fiercest to date, a relentless drone and cruise missile assault by Russian forces in their long, devastating war with Ukraine.
Pebley, a 2004 Wakefield Memorial High graduate who grew up on Melvin Street, had been honorably discharged from the US Marine Corps in 2009 after two deployments to Iraq. He volunteered to serve in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion last summer, believing the Russian invasion of its neighbor was an attack on innocent lives.
During three days in mid-May, the Russians launched 900 drones at Ukraine, including 355 drones and nine cruise missiles in one night. Johnathan’s father Mark told the New York Post that Russia’s largest-ever drone attack that killed his son mostly targeted civilians, an assault that led President Donald Trump to lash out at Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Johnathan Pebley’s dangerous final mission took him near the front lines of the war. According to his obituary published in Monday’s Daily Item, Johnathan led several missions inside Russia and commanded troops in the trenches near Zaporizhzhia.
Johnathan, whose call sign was Mayhem, was a recently assigned team leader of the Delta Knights, a Foreign Legion squad made up of a mix of Americans, Poles, Brits and natives of Scandinavian countries.
“The Ukrainians have been getting pummeled by drones, bombs and missile strikes and it’s mostly civilians,” Mark, who served in the Air Force, said. “What’s going on over there is evil and atrocious and the rest of the world really needs to step up to the plate and stop what’s really going on.”
Since he left active duty in the US military, Johnathan had jobs as a corrections officer, a garbage collector, a restaurant owner, and lived in four different countries, but none of it ever felt right. He lived and traveled in Alaska, Australia, Indonesia, France, and many other parts of the world. According to his obituary, “His magnetic charm, quick wit, and sincere heart left a lasting impact everywhere he went, forging deep and lasting friendships across continents.
“Those who knew Johnathan will remember his fierce loyalty, razor-sharp humor—often tinged with sarcasm—and boundless energy. He lived life without reservation, bringing joy, laughter, and just the right amount of mischief to every moment.”
Mark Pebley told the New York Post he did not want to reveal the precise date his son was killed to avoid jeopardizing surviving members of his son’s team who remain in active combat.
Johnathan was born in a German Air Force base, but grew up in Wakefield, playing sports and listening to music. He joined the Marines a year after graduating from high school and did two combat tours in 2008 and 2009, his father said.
After his first tour, Mark said his son still believed in the mission, but he soured on it after his second tour.
“They saw things,” he said. “They had orders that they didn’t particularly agree with.”
Johnathan alluded to that change of heart in a February interview with Task & Purpose, where he talked about his renewed sense of purpose fighting for the Ukrainian people.
“My theologies changed, my politics changed a bit, and I started to have quite a bit of guilt about my role in Iraq,” he said. “I didn’t believe that I should have been there – that we should have been there. And I kind of feel like in a karmic way, this kind of cancels that out. I’m fighting a just cause, defending a people rather than encroaching on them.”
He arrived in Ukraine last August after being recruited by the Foreign Legion.
“This is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I feel at home again, everything makes a lot more sense,” the Marine told Task & Purpose, according to the New York Post. “Somehow life makes a lot more sense here than it did anytime since I got out in 2009.”
The last time Mark Pebley talked to his son was May 7, while he was training for the mission that killed him.
“He’s always a sticking-up-for-the-underdog type of person. He didn’t like bullies,” Mark said. “And he felt Russia was bullying Ukraine and he felt he could do some good over there. And he did.”
“I’m heartbroken,” Mark Pebley told The Post. “I’m crushed, his mother is crushed. His brothers are crushed. Everybody that ever knew him is crushed.”
Johnathan is survived by his mother, Nora Hill, and her husband, Scott, of Red Bluff, California; his father, Mark Pebley, and his wife, Carolyn, of Venice, Florida; his brothers, Clifford Pebley and wife Tonya of St. Albans, Vermont, and Scott McDonough and wife Ellen of Las Vegas, Nevada; and his beloved grandmother, Marie Pebley of Venice, Florida. He is also survived by his aunts Kristin, Jackie, and Marilyn; his cousins Griffin, Skylar, Jill, Laurie, and Nicole; his nephew, Connor; and his nieces, Isabella, Maya, Nieko, Nohmi, and Raema.
Johnathan’s wake will be tomorrow. Relatives and friends can visit the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave. from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Donations in Johnathan’s honor can be made to the R.T. Weatherman Foundation (weatherman foundation.org) or The Wounded Warrior Project (support.woundedwarriorproject.org).