Magic Marine awarded U.S. Medal of Honor

1st Lieutenant George H. Cannon was the first U.S. Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War Two. The medal is the U.S. government's highest and most prestigious military decoration for acts of valour by American service personnel.

In high school, George Cannon was in the magic club and retained a keen interest in magic as he went off to university.

He studied engineering at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1938, before joining the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer candidate. He commissioned and, with war imminent, was sent to Midway Island in the Pacific, arriving on 11 September 1941.

The Midway Atoll, as its name suggests, lies nearly halfway between Hawaii and Tokyo. It was vital base for the likely impending conflict between the United States and Japan. 

On Sunday 7 December, 1941, Cannon, age 26, was assigned as platoon leader of H Battery of the 6th Defense Battalion. His task was to defend a critical power station on Sand Island. 

1st Lieutenant George H. Cannon - a magical marine

(Source: Public domain)

On the same night as the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Japanese destroyers launched a ferocious attack against Sand Island, intending to cripple the island’s airfield and provide safe passage to Japan’s aircraft retreating from their attack on Pearl Harbor.

During the attack, a mortar landed inside island’s heavily-armoured power station. For the Japanese, it was a lucky shot. For the U.S. Marines inside, it was disastrous. If the shell had hit the station’s outside wall, the men inside would probably not have been injured. As it was, the mortar found its way into an air vent and straight into the communications control room. 

Lieutenant Cannon was struck by shell fragments, crushing his pelvis, severing his femoral artery, and braking both the tibia and fibula in his left leg. He was among the first to be wounded in the attack, but refused to be evacuated, instead overseeing the evacuation of his wounded men, re-establishing command of his post in the face of his imminent death, and ensuring that communications were restored at the station, while the attack on the power station continued.

Finally, he was forcibly removed and given medical attention. But because of the length of time he remained at his post with such severe arterial bleeding, he bled to death at about forty minutes after the attack.

Lieutenant Cannon’s Medal of Honor citation reads:

"For distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage, and disregard of his own condition during the bombardment of Sand Island, Midway Islands, by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Lieutenant Cannon, Battery Commander of Battery “H” Sixth Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, U. S. Marine Corps, was at his Command Post when he was mortally wounded by enemy shell fire. He refused to be evacuated from his post until after his men, who had been wounded by the same shell were evacuated, and directed the reorganization of his Command Post until forcibly removed, and as a result of his utter disregard of his own condition he died from loss of blood." 

Franklin D. Roosevelt

In addition to the Medal of Honor, 1st Lieutenant George Cannon was awarded the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal with Base Clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War Two Victory Medal posthumously.

A day after George Cannon was killed, the U.S. Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan. Three days later, on 11 December 1941, America also declared war on Nazi Germany.

Related article: Heroic magician saves lives in Portsmouth Blitz, tells the story of an amateur magician serving in the A.R.P. who is awarded the George Medal.  Blog link.