Henry Gurke (1922 - 1943) - Find A Grave Memorial

Actions

Henry Gurke

Birth:	Nov. 6, 1922 Neche Pembina County North Dakota, USA
Death:	Nov. 9, 1943, Solomon Islands
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served as Private First Class in Company M, 3rd Raider Battalion, 2nd Raider Regiment of the I Marine Amphibious Corps. On November 9, 1943 he was in a shallow two-man foxhole with a fellow Marine, delivering a fierce stream of fire against the advancing Japanese in defense of a road block in the area near Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville Island. Concluding from the grenade barrages that the enemy was determined to annihilate their position, he resorted to a desperate measure to hold out despite the torrential hail of shells. When a Japanese grenade dropped squarely into the foxhole, he being mindful of his companion, thrust him roughly aside and flung his own body over the missile to smother the explosion. For his devotion to duty and personal sacrifice in the face of the enemy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to his parents on May 31, 1944. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith) Search Amazon for Henry Gurke

Burial: Neche Union Cemetery Neche Pembina County North Dakota, USA
Maintained by: Find A Grave Originally Created by: John "J-Cat" Griffith Record added: Nov 01, 2003 Find A Grave Memorial# 8049533