| George Lafayette Mabry, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 14, 1917 Sumter, South Carolina |
| Died | July 13, 1990 (aged 72) |
| Place of burial | Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Stateburg, South Carolina |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1940 - 1975 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
George Lafayette Mabry, Jr. (September 14, 1917 – July 13, 1990) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in World War II.
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Mabry was a 1940 graduate of Presbyterian College located in Clinton, South Carolina. He joined the Army from his birth place of Sumter, South Carolina, and by November 20, 1944, after rapidly rising through the officer ranks, was serving as a lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. On that day, while leading his battalion in the Hurtgen Forest near Schevenhütte, Germany, he personally found a safe route through a minefield, led a group of scouts in the capture of three enemy bunkers, and then established an advantageous defensive position. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, in September 1945.
Mabry reached the rank of major general before leaving the Army. He died at age 72 and was buried at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Stateburg, South Carolina.
Mabry's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
He was commanding the 2d Battalion, 8th Infantry, in an attack through the Hurtgen Forest near Schevenhutte, Germany, on 20 November 1944. During the early phases of the assault, the leading elements of his battalion were halted by a minefield and immobilized by heavy hostile fire. Advancing alone into the mined area, Col. Mabry established a safe route of passage. He then moved ahead of the foremost scouts, personally leading the attack, until confronted by a boobytrapped double concertina obstacle. With the assistance of the scouts, he disconnected the explosives and cut a path through the wire. Upon moving through the opening, he observed 3 enemy in foxholes whom he captured at bayonet point. Driving steadily forward he paced the assault against 3 log bunkers which housed mutually supported automatic weapons. Racing up a slope ahead of his men, he found the initial bunker deserted, then pushed on to the second where he was suddenly confronted by 9 onrushing enemy. Using the butt of his rifle, he felled 1 adversary and bayoneted a second, before his scouts came to his aid and assisted him in overcoming the others in hand-to-hand combat. Accompanied by the riflemen, he charged the third bunker under pointblank small arms fire and led the way into the fortification from which he prodded 6 enemy at bayonet point. Following the consolidation of this area, he led his battalion across 300 yards of fire-swept terrain to seize elevated ground upon which he established a defensive position which menaced the enemy on both flanks, and provided his regiment a firm foothold on the approach to the Cologne Plain. Col. Mabry's superlative courage, daring, and leadership in an operation of major importance exemplify the finest characteristics of the military service.