Posted by David Mathisen on June 24, 2011:

Johnny "JJ" Tiner will always live on in our hearts as a one-of-a-kind original, a true friend, and the epitome of a southern gentleman in the best sense. His dry sense of humor and easygoing manner could defuse any situation and put everyone around him at ease. Even after spending four years in the chaos of cadet life and off-post adventures with him, I can honestly say I never saw anything that would phase him. He maintained a perfect equilibrium all the time. Johnny would come up with the funniest nicknames for people, too -- but never in a mean way. His humor was always at just the right pitch, able to bring the situation (or the target) down to earth without bringing them down too hard. His personal nickname for me was "Jerry Lee," which was a way of making fun of my pretentious long floppy blond haircut, without cutting me down (too much). Sometimes he would just address people as "Muldoon" or "Maroon," two favorite forms of address, which can only be properly pronounced by Johnny himself (the second half of the word is about three times longer than the first half). He also loved to say, "and how!" when you said something, which also does the same humorous takedown on whatever you just said, but without causing you any real harm (this phrase, too, must be pronounced with a certain inflection in order to achieve the desired effect -- I can still hear it perfectly in my mind the way Johnny would say it). John also engineered some of the most creative and devastating practical jokes on his roommates, each of which could form an excellent short story in a collection. He was just funny all the time without being mean and without ever losing his cool or losing a single cool point. Johnny was probably the single coolest individual we knew, without ever trying to be or without any indication that he thought about it at all. The famous incident of the "Tiner Rocket" illustrates his unflappable equilibrium perfectly. Perhaps that's why we love to reflect on that story -- not only was it one of the funniest incidents in a very funny four years at West Point, but it also encapsulates his ability to keep his cool in any situation. For those not familiar with it, I can't do it justice the way those who were on the table themselves can, but I knew all the characters involved, especially the ferocious Cow who, while waiting for the command to "take seats" in the mess hall, gruffly ordered "Tiner, stop rocking!" (we were in our first semester of plebe year). Without hesitation, young JJ climbed up on his chair and began the rising whistle accompanied by the double arm gesture that signals the beginning of the Rocket, culminating in his arms straight over his head and then the tremendous "BOOM! AH!" of that ancient cadet cheer. Nobody around him had any idea what had caused this sudden outburst -- the other plebes on the table were aghast, and the upperclassmen completely dumbfounded. It remains one of the funniest mis-communications in all the annals of military history. After graduation, Johnny went into the cavalry, which was exactly what he wanted to do as the dashing son of Texas (and Louisiana) that he was. His cavalry platoon obviously revered him. They gave him the radio call-sign of "Tango Six-niner," which he made into a little motto, "Wine her, dine her, Tango Six-Niner!" -- a perfect Tinerism. Johnny was just a unique and very wonderful person. He was warmhearted, funny, laid back, and capable at whatever he set his mind to do. We miss you Johnny and will never forget the good times.

admin