"Private First Class George Herbert Lind was the youngest of ten brothers and sisters in Detroit. His Norwegian father and Swedish mother had immigrated to the United States early in the 1900's.
George loved music and sang in a trio in high school. He was good-looking and athletic, a very nice young man. Everybody liked George.
He wanted to continue in music after he got out of school but, first and foremost, George was a patriot. When World War II broke out, he couldn't wait to join the United States Marines. He wasn't old enough to join on his own, so his father had to sign for him.
George had joined up early enough to see some real action with the Second Marine Division in the Central Pacific. He was in the Guadalcanal campaign and fought and died in the famous Marine battle against the Japanese on the atoll of Tarawa in 1943. He was mortally wounded on the fourth and last day of the battle. He was helping to clear out the final Japanese holdouts, who were heavily armed and dug in at "the pocket" on Red Beach 1. George was hit bad. He was taken for treatment just offshore on the U.S.S. Sheridan, but he died the next day and was buried at sea.
His memory is honored in Hawaii at the famous U. S. military cemetery in "the Punchbowl" volcanic crater overlooking Honolulu. You'll find the name, George Lind, engraved on a court of honor, along with those of other Marine heroes like him who died in the Pacific in World War II.
George's death had a profound impact on the Lind family. Two of his siblings subsequently joined the Marines, his big brother, Bill, and his older sister, Verna, who became a Marine drill sergeant. Brother Gerald, 12 years older than George, served his country as a civilian teaching diesel engine operation to the young enlisted men who would pilot LCI boats, Landing Craft Infantry.
Brother Bill served as a Private First Class in the Pacific during the war in the Second Marine Air Wing on Guam, Saipan, Majuro, and Kwajalein. Bill was in the Marine shore patrol and also served as an aircraft mechanic. He is semi-retired today, living in Rochester, Michigan.
The medals George Lind earned through his service in the U.S. Marines were never presented to him. He died too soon and too young. Marine records show they were presented to his parents, but they died nearly half a century ago and there's no trace of those medals."
- Excerpted from a speech given at a dinner in Honor of George Lind.
Email - Jon@tarawaontheweb.org
copyright 2003 Wheaton, Illinois
Created 15 August 2003
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