WW2 Okinawa Fallen - George Hamrick, 7th Infantry Division + a tie-in to The Beatles

George Hamrick served in the 7th Infantry Division on Okinawa.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50671151/george-a.-hamrick
https://www.theblaze.com/contributions/would-the-u-s-survive-another-battle-of-okinawa

George Hamrick never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 12, 1918 in Oklahoma. His parents Arthur and Evelyn were born in Ohio and Kansas, respectively. His father worked as a farmer. George had three older sisters, two older brothers, a younger brother, and a younger sister. His mother died when George was seven years old. His father died in 1935. By 1940 George had completed eight years of schooling. He had moved away to California where he worked as a railroad welder's helper.

He was drafted into the army on March 21, 1941. He married Mary Ann McGregor in July 1942. He became a staff sergeant in the anti-tank company of the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. 

The 7th ID was stationed in California when the war started. It first saw action in Attu in May 1943. Moved to the Marshall Islands in January 1944, it took part in the capture of Kwajalein. One month later it was Eniwetok. In October it fought in Leyte. Sgt. Hamrick was twice wounded in Leyte and spent several months in a hospital. When he recovered, he was sent back to his platoon leadership position.

The last engagement for the 7th ID began with the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945.

Sgt. Hamrick was killed by enemy machine-gun fire on April 30, 1945 while carrying supplies to the front lines.

His grave is at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Balko, Oklahoma. I don't know what happened to his widow.

Thank you Sgt. Hamrick for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for George.

SID BERNSTEIN

Sid Bernstein was born in New York City on the same day as George Hamrick. Sid was adopted by a Jewish family and studied journalism at Columbia University. He joined the army in 1943. He served in France as part of an AAA battalion.

Sid Bernstein (second from left) with Paul, Ringo and George in 1964.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/263390278177198046/ 

After the war he became a booking agent for musicians. He was the promoter responsible for bringing The Beatles to America. He was the first person to book rock concerts in sports stadiums. Following up on that success he also was instrumental in bringing these well known British groups to America: The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Moody Blues, and The Kinks.

Sid Bernstein died in 2013.

Last year on this date I profiled John Phipps, 6th Infantry Division. You can read about John here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

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WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org