George Conklin USMC was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. He gave his life in the early days of WWII at Guadacanal in defense of his country. Although mortally gut-shot, he stayed at his post until he could no longer function, then dissassmbled and scattered the parts of his machine gun so that the enemy could not use it. It took him 2 sad days to expire. In those desperate early days of the war there was no way to save him. He was only 21 years old. George was a farm boy from the Pennsylvania countryside. His home town, his family and friends remember him. The Navy named a Destroyer Escort in his honor, the USS Conklin DE 439. George's mother christened the ship named in her son's honor, and corresponded with the young men of the crew. That ship was heroic too, and abundant information about it can be found on the web. The surviving crew of the USS Conklin DE 439 and their families love and honor him too. His small headstone stands for so much history, heroism, grief and memory.
George Conklin USMC was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. He gave his life in the early days of WWII at Guadacanal in defense of his country. Although mortally gut-shot, he stayed at his post until he could no longer function, then dissassmbled and scattered the parts of his machine gun so that the enemy could not use it. It took him 2 sad days to expire. In those desperate early days of the war there was no way to save him. He was only 21 years old. George was a farm boy from the Pennsylvania countryside. His home town, his family and friends remember him. The Navy named a Destroyer Escort in his honor, the USS Conklin DE 439. George's mother christened the ship named in her son's honor, and corresponded with the young men of the crew. That ship was heroic too, and abundant information about it can be found on the web. The surviving crew of the USS Conklin DE 439 and their families love and honor him too. His small headstone stands for so much history, heroism, grief and memory.
Inscription
PVT, 1 MARINE REGT, 1 MARINE DIV WORLD WAR II
