Medal of Honor Garlin Conner

Zogman

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Posts
4,487
Likes
1,558
Points
528
Location
NW Angle, MN and Grand Forks, ND
As I was on my break today I did get to watch the Medal of Honor Ceremony for Garland Conner.

Biography
Conner was born on 2 June 1919 in Aaron, Kentucky.[4]He was the third child of eleven brothers and sisters. He and four of his brothers served during World War II. He stood at 5' 6".


Military service
Conner was a selectee for the military and entered the U.S. Army on 1 March 1941 in Louisville, Kentucky.[5] He completed his basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington where he became a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. After training with his division at Fort Lewis, he was sent with the 3rd Infantry Division division to Camp Ord, California and Fort Pickett, Virginia for further combat training.


On 23 October 1942, Conner and his division departed the United States from Norfolk, Virginia to fight in the European-African-Middle Eastern theater of operations arriving on 8 November for the invasion of French North Africa. He participated in four amphibious assault landings and eight campaigns including the Anzio Campaign in Italy during which he earned his second Silver Star (Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster).[6][7][8] He was promoted to technical sergeant on 13 January 1944. He was discharged on 27 June 1944, and commissioned a second lieutenant on 28 June 1944.[6][9] On 29 December 1944, he was promoted to 1st lieutenant.


Conner was awarded four Silver Stars for gallantry in action: in October 1943, 30 January 1944, 11 September 1944, and 3 February 1945.[6] He was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action on 6 March 1944, in August, and in September 1944.[6][7] He was presented the Distinguished Service Cross from Lieutenant General Alexander Patch, the Commander of the Seventh Army, for extraordinary heroism during a German counterattack with six tanks and 600 infantrymen on 24 January 1945, near Houssen, France.[6] Recently returned to his unit from the the hospital, intelligence staff officer Lt. Conner volunteered to go forward to direct artillery fire against the German counterattack. The enemy got so close that Lt. Conner had to call artillery fire directly on his own position, leading to the death of more than 50 Germans and stopping the assault.


In March 1945, Conner was sent back to the U.S. and was honorably discharged on 22 June 1945.[6]


Post-military and death
Conner married Lyda Pauline Wells on 9 July 1945.[10]


After the war, the Conners lived in Albany, Kentucky. They had one son, Paul, one grandson, and three granddaughters. Conner was in the farming business, working his farm in Albany where he was president of the Clinton County Farm Bureau for seventeen years. He was active in various veterans organizations including the Paralyzed Veterans of America. He was handicapped from his war wounds and from heart surgery in 1979.


Conner died in 1998, and was buried in Memorial Hill Cemetery in Albany.[11] In 2012, the U.S. Army honored Conner by designating a portion of a new maintenance facility at Fort Benning, Georgia as Conner Hall.[12]

Watching and listening gave this crusty old coot a lump in my throat and found myself whipping my eyes. The Hero's then and all our military men and women past and present cannot be honored or thanked enough for their service, bravery and sacrifice.

God Bless each and every one of you!
 


FishReaper

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2015
Posts
1,644
Likes
14
Points
211
Location
Sawyer
I've watched a few programs on Medal of Honor men. The thing they do are truly mind boggling. God's speed Warriors
 

2400

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Posts
8,580
Likes
44
Points
276
Location
Northern AZ
FIRST LIEUTENANT GARLIN M. CONNER

conner_bio.jpg

BORN

June 2, 1919


HOMETOWN

Aaron, Kentucky


ENLISTMENT DATE

March 1, 1941


MILITARY OCCUPATION

9301 Intelligence Staff Officer


UNIT

3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division


CAMPAIGNS

Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe



Garlin M. Conner was born on June 2, 1919, and raised in rural Clinton County, Kentucky. With the nearest high school almost 15 miles away, Conner’s formal education ended in eighth grade. He spent his teenage years working on his family’s farm and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps when he enlisted in the Army, March 1, 1941, at Fort Lewis, Washington.Following basic training, Conner was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. After several months of training, Conner and the 3rd Infantry Division deployed, Oct. 23, 1942. During Conner’s service, he fought for 28 months on the front lines in 10 campaigns, participated in four amphibious assault landings, was wounded seven times and earned a battlefield commission. Conner’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star with three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Arrowhead and two Silver Service Stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Fourragere and the Honorable Service Lapel Button-WWII.After spending over two years in nearly continuous combat, Conner was honorably discharged from the Army, June 22, 1945. Conner returned home to Clinton County after his discharge to a parade in his honor, where he met Pauline Lyda Wells. After a one-week courtship, they were married.

I haven't been able to find the actual citation for his Medal of Honor yet or I would post it.

 

Recent Posts

Friends of NDA

Top Posters of the Month

  • This month: 161
  • This month: 136
  • This month: 121
  • This month: 110
  • This month: 105
  • This month: 87
  • This month: 84
  • This month: 79
  • This month: 76
  • This month: 76
Top Bottom