World War II Honoree

George T. Cawley

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

East Hartford, Connecticut

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: CORPORAL. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS JULY 1, 1941 AND COMPLETED HIS COMBAT BASIC TRAINING AT THE MARINE RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA. AFTER COMPLETION OF BOOT CAMP, HE WAS SELECTED INTO THE MARINE CORPS FLIGHT AVIATION TRAINING PROGRAM. SERVED AS A PBJ-1 BOMBER CREW MEMBER ASSIGNED TO THE MARINE BOMBER SQUADRON SIX-ELEVEN ‘VMB-611’, MARINE AIR GROUP-THIRTY TWO, FIRST MARINE AIRCRAFT WING. HIS SQUADRON WAS BASED AT MORET AIRFIELD, ZAMBOANGA MINDANAO PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1945 HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION DURING A LOW-LEVEL BOMBING AND STRAFING RAID ON THE KIBAWE TRAIL NEAR DAVAO, MINDANAO. HE AND THREE CREW MEMBERS DIED WHEN THE BOMBER CRASHED INTO THE GROUND AFTER BEING HIT BY ENEMY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE AND WERE BURIED IN THE AREA OF THE CRASH SITE. AFTER THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES WITH JAPAN, THE REMAINS OF THE FOUR MARINES WERE RETURNED TO THEIR FAMILIES, WITH INTERMENT JULY 12, 1949 IN A GROUP PLOT AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, FORT MYER, VIRGINIA.