Sunday, December 7, 2014

December 7, 1941

1st Lt George Cannon was the first Marine to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during WWII. 





CANNON, GEORGE H.


Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 5 November 1915, Webster Groves, Mo. Entered service at: Michigan.

Citation

For distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage and disregard of his own condition during the bombardment of Sand Island, Midway Islands, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. 1st Lt. Cannon, Battery Commander of Battery H, 6th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, U.S. Marine Corps, was at his command post when he was mortally wounded by enemy shellfire. He refused to be evacuated from his post until after his men who had been wounded by the same shell were evacuated, and directed the reorganization of his command post until forcibly removed. As a result of his utter disregard of his own condition he died from loss of blood.


/S/ Franklin D. Roosevelt

1 comment:

rapnzl rn said...

Thanks, OC. I despise that we need to remember this, but we do. So much valor on December 7, 1941 - recognized and unrecognized.