World War II Honoree

Paul A. York

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Stratford, Connecticut

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Corporal. He was inducted into the United States Marine Corps September 18, 1940 at Hartford, Connecticut, with recruit training at the Marine Barracks Parris Island, South Carolina, and infantry training at Camp Geiger, North Carolina. Following his training, he was assigned to the Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, an element of the Fifth Amphibious Corps. He served with a specialized team of Marines and Navy Corpsmen, who performed clandestine preliminary operations on the beaches of Eniwetok Atoll, Code Name: Operation Hailstone, Marshall Islands Location: Western Pacific Theater of Operations. On Tuesday, February 22, 1944 he was fatally wounded and buried in the Coral Sands battlefield cemetery on Kirinian Island. In the post-war era, this Marines’ family requested that he be buried with Military Honors at the Arlington National Cemetery Location: Fort Myer Arlington, Virginia, with Interment April 14, 1949. In his Memory and Honor, this American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.