George Harvey Herron, Jr. was born in 1920 in Texas to George Harvey Herron, Sr. (1878-1967) and Sadie E (French) Herron (1887-1972). They had two children: George Harvey and Ellen Adele.
In 1930 the family lived in Wichita Falls, Texas, moving to Colorado Springs, Colorado by 1935. George was living in Miles City, Montana in 1940 and was a traveling salesman for a furnace company.
He enlisted in the US Navy January 6, 1942 in Denver, Colorado. After boot camp he was received on board the USS Emmons (DD-457) June 13, 1942 from the receiving station in Norfolk, Virginia. On August 11, 1943 he was transferred to Fleet Service School (Elect. Hydraulics) in Norfolk, Virginia. He reboarded the Emmons December 30, 1943.
George rose in rank to Gunner’s Mate First Class.
USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22) was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral George F. Emmons (1811–1884).
“Emmons was laid down 14 November 1940 with Macomb, together with the last destroyers of the 1,630-ton Gleaves-class built at Maine’s Bath Iron Works. Christened in honor of a prominent Civil War-era officer, she was launched 23 August 1941. After commissioning at Boston Navy Yard on 5 December and shakedown with Hambleton on a diplomatic mission to South America’s west coast, she joined Macomb and Federal-built Ellyson, Hambleton and Rodman in Destroyer Division 19 of Destroyer Squadron 10.
Operating mainly in the Atlantic and later in the Mediterranean Sea over the next two years, “Easy Money” was detached a week before D-day to join DesRon 18 for the Normandy invasion, substituting for Endicott.
Off Omaha Beach on D-day, 6 June 1944, she distinguished herself with accurate counter battery fire; then participated in the bombardment of Cherbourg before returning with DesRon 10 to the Mediterranean for the invasion of southern France.
Converted at Boston as high speed minesweeper DMS 22 in November–December 1944, Emmons, with her squadron, then was sent to the Pacific as part of Mine Squadron 20 for the invasion of Okinawa. There, northeast of Ie Shima in the first mass kamikaze attack, 6 April 1945, she steamed to the defense of Rodman, which had been hit. Only after she ran low on ammunition did five suicide planes break through and hit her in a two-minute span—four more landed close aboard—killing one-quarter of her crew and wounding one-quarter more. The hits left her burning and drifting toward an enemy-held sector of the Okinawa coast until flagship Ellyson was ordered to sink her.
All personnel serving on Emmons at the time of the sinking received a Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon from the Secretary of the Navy. The commendation reads as follows:
“For outstanding heroism in action while attached to Mine Squadron TWENTY, operating under Commander Mine Force, Pacific Fleet, from 24 to 31 March; and thereafter under the operational control of Commander Transport Screen, from 1 to 6 April 1945, during operations for the seizure of enemy-held Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. Although lightly armed and highly vulnerable while operating in dangerous mined waters, the U.S.S. Emmons rendered heroic service in minesweeping, fire support, radar picket, anti-suicide boat, antisubmarine and antiaircraft screen missions. A natural and frequent target for heavy Japanese aerial attack, she was constantly vigilant and ready for battle, firing her guns valiantly against a group of Japanese suicide planes striking in force on 6 April, and downing six of the attackers before five others crashed her in rapid succession, killing or wounding many personnel and inflicting damage which resulted in her sinking. By her own aggressiveness and the courage and skill of her officers and men, the U.S.S. Emmons achieved a record of gallantry in combat reflecting the highest credit upon herself and the United States Naval Service.”
In addition to the Navy Unit Commendation, Emmons earned five service stars during World War II.”
George was listed as missing in action on April 6, 1945; later being declared dead May 15, 1945. He is remembered on the Courts of the Missing in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, the Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Peace Memorial Park in Okinawa and the Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora, Colorado. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.
Thank you, GM1 Herron, Jr., for your service and sacrifice.