World War II Honoree

George Malcolm Ashmun

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Far Hills, New Jersey

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: CAPTAIN. SERVED AS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FIGHTER PILOT AND SECTION LEADER, WHO FLEW THE F4U-1A CORSAIR FIGHTER-BOMBER ASSIGNED TO THE ‘BLACK SHEEP’ MARINE ATTACK SQUADRON TWO ONE-FOURTEEN VMF-214, COMMANDED BY COLONEL GREGORY ‘PAPPY’ BOYINGTON, MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP-THIRTEEN, THIRD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING. HIS SQUADRON WAS BASED AT BARAKOMA AIRFIELD LOCATED ON VELLA LAVELLA, AN ISLAND IN THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS LOCATED IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. ON MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1944 HE FLEW A COMBAT SORTIE OVER RABAUL, NEW BRITAIN, PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND WAS SHOT DOWN DURING A FIGHTER SWEEP, ATTACKING A NUMERICALLY SUPERIOR FORCE OF JAPANESE FIGHTERS. HE WAS REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1946 AND MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING, MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL LOCATED AT FORT BONIFACIO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: RECIPIENT OF THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS AND THE PURPLE HEART (POSTHUMOUSLY). THE CAPTAIN WAS AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS FOR HEROISM WHILE PARTICIPATING AS SECTION LEADER DURING ACTION AGAINST JAPANESE FORCES IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SOLOMONS. THE MARINE, AN AMERICAN PATRIOT WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS SUPREME SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.