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Henry Gurke

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Henry Gurke Veteran Famous memorial

Birth
Neche, Pembina County, North Dakota, USA
Death
9 Nov 1943 (aged 21)
Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
Burial
Neche, Pembina County, North Dakota, USA GPS-Latitude: 48.9455, Longitude: -97.5349
Memorial ID
View Source
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.
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



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
  • Added: Nov 1, 2003
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8049533/henry-gurke: accessed ), memorial page for Henry Gurke (6 Nov 1922–9 Nov 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8049533, citing Union Cemetery, Neche, Pembina County, North Dakota, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.