Dramesi was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 12 February 1933 and grew up in Blackwood, a neighborhood in Gloucester Township, New Jersey.via Associated Press. "Ex-Pease Commander May Seek Elective Office: Brother says Ex-POW relieved of duty pending retirement", Nashua Telegraph, December 26, 1981. Accessed May 30, 2013. "Dramesi, a Gloucester Township native whose defiance of his captors while a prisoner of war in Vietnam earned him nationwide respect, was replaced suddenly as commander of Pease Air Force Base in Newingon, N. H., on Monday under circumstances which remain unclear." He was a pugnacious wrestler at Haddonfield Memorial High SchoolSchwartz, Eric. "From POW to VIP, Bulldawgs Wrestler Dramesi Returns to Haddonfield", Haddonfield-Haddon Township, NJ, Patch, January 18, 2013. Accessed February 20, 2023. "John Dramesi wasn’t the best wrestler when he first took to the mat as part of the inaugural 1948-49 Haddonfield Memorial High School wrestling team." and the son of a boxer.Powell, Stuart M., "Honor Bound" Article in Air Force Magazine, August 1999. Dramesi graduated from Rutgers University and its Air Force ROTC program in 1955, and was trained as a fighter pilot at Laredo Air Force Base. His first Air Force assignments included piloting F-100 Super Sabre and F-105 Thunderchief fighters. From June 1964 to September 1966, Dramesi served as a Forward Air Controller and Air Liaison Officer with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. Veteran Tributes.
