World War II Honoree

George A. Graves

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Kansas City, Missouri

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: 1ST LIEUTENANT. HE WAS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FIGHTER PILOT, WHO FLEW THE GRUMMAN F4F ‘WILDCAT’ FIGHTER ASSIGNED TO THE MARINE ATTACK SQUADRON TWO HUNDRED ELEVEN VMF-211, MARINE AIR GROUP-THIRTEEN, THIRD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING IN THE PACIFIC THEATER. ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1941 HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION DURING THE BATTLE OF WAKE ISLAND, NICKNAMED: ALAMO OF THE PACIFIC (DECEMBER 8-23, 1941) WHEN THE JAPANESE ARMED FORCES INVADED THE ISLAND. WHILE CLIMBING INTO THE COCKPIT OF HIS FIGHTER AFTER THE AIR RAID ALARM HAD SOUNDED, HE WAS KILLED WHEN HIS AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY A JAPANESE BOMB STRIKE AND WAS BURIED IN THE UNITED STATES CEMETERY LOCATED ON PEACOCK POINT, WAKE ISLAND. HIS REMAINS WERE REPATRIATED FROM WAKE IN 1946 AND TRANSFERRED TO HONOLULU, WITH INTERMENT IN A COMMON GRAVE, SECTION-G, PLOT: WAKE ISLAND DEFENDERS LOCATED IN THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII. DECORATION AND CITATION: PURPLE HEART. HE WAS AN AMERICAN PATRIOT, WHO WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART (POSTHUMOUSLY) FOR HIS ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.