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| Cpl. George Bailey earned The Soldier's Medal while serving with the Army Air Forces in Alaska. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39789569/george-h-bailey https://www.usamilitarymedals.com/products/army-soldiers-medal-heroism |
George H. Bailey never had a chance to reach 100 years old. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
I began this project on January 1, 2017. It will conclude on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2. During the intervening time, a different fallen serviceman was profiled every day on his 100th birthday. I have decided to round out the project by profiling one of the fallen born between December 7, 1916 and December 31, 1916. This will result in one of the fallen being profiled for every day America was engaged in World War 2. The total will be 1,366 men and women. That's enough for only 13 stars out of the 4,048 on the Freedom Wall of the World War II Memorial.
George was born on December 18, 1916 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents Joseph and Elizabeth were also both born in Ohio. His father worked as a railroad switchman. George had three older sisters, one older brother, four younger brothers, and one younger sister. At some point George married and then divorced.
He was drafted into the army in July 1942. He volunteered for the Army Air Forces and became a corporal in the 110th Airways Communications Squadron where he was a radio technician. This squadron was based in Alaska where it provided communication infrastructure for the Army Air Forces planes that flew in the area.
In February 1944, Cpl. Bailey was part of a four man team that was sent to a remote Aleutian island to find a grounded army barge. The men were caught in a winter storm and Cpl. Bailey drowned on February 15, 1944. Two other men from the team also died, leaving just one survivor. He was posthumously awarded the Soldier's Medal which is warranted for heroism not involving conflict with the enemy. I was not able to find the citation.
His grave is at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1946 a movie that would become a national treasure, It's a Wonderful Life, was released. Had George Bailey survived the war, he would have realized he shared the same name as the beloved main character. In the movie, George saves his brother from drowning and during the war his brother saved a shipload of men from drowning. Sadly there was no one to save the real George Bailey from drowning.
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.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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