Lindh was born in Washington , D.C. , to Marilyn Walker and Frank R. Lindh , as the middle of three children in the family . He was named " John " after John Lennon , who was murdered two months before Lindh 's birth . He was baptized a Catholic , and grew up in Silver Spring , Maryland . When he was 10 years old , his family moved to San Anselmo , California . Lindh suffered from an intestinal disorder as a child . At age 14 , his health improved . He enrolled at Redwood High School as a freshman . He then transferred to Tamiscal High School in the Tamalpais Union High School District , an alternative school offering self-directed , individualized study programs . While there , he studied world culture , including Sunni Islam and the Middle East . Lindh dropped out of the school and eventually earned an equivalent of a high school diploma by passing the California High School Proficiency Exam at age 16
murdered
Murder of John Lennon
John Walker Lindh