World War II Honoree

John Robert Alvord

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Quincy, Massachusetts

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: CAPTAIN. HE WAS A UNITED STATES MARINE, WHO RECEIVED HIS GOLD NAVAL PILOT WINGS AND COMMISSIONED A 2ND LIEUTENANT ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1939. SERVED IN THE PACIFIC THEATER AS A F2A-3 BREWSTER BUFFALO FIGHTER PILOT AND SECTION LEADER. ASSIGNED TO THE MARINE FIGHTER SQUADRON TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE ‘VMF-221’ NICKNAMED: ‘THE FIGHTING FALCONS’, MARINE AIR GROUP TWENTY-TWO, MIDWAY NAVAL AIR STATION. REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1942 DURING A COMBAT ENGAGEMENT AGAINST THE JAPANESE NAVAL ARMED FORCES IN THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY. HE IS MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING, HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: NAVY PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION, AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL. RECIPIENT OF THE NAVY CROSS AND PURPLE HEART POSTHUMOUSLY. THE NAVY CROSS WAS AWARDED TO THE CAPTAIN FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND OUTSTANDING COURAGE DURING ACTION AGAINST ENEMY JAPANESE NAVAL ARMED FORCES AT MIDWAY. THIS MARINE, AN AMERICAN PATRIOT, WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, WHO SO GALLANTLY GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY.