DOB/DOD: November 26, 1920 (Stamford, CT) – June 18, 1945; 24 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Marjorie “Midgie” Johnson Hyland (1923-1989) in Lomita, California. She remarried in 1949 to William F. Sharpe (1921-1983).
CHILDREN: One son, George Jr. (1944-1974)
LOCAL ADDRESS: 11 Cottage Street, Stamford
ENLISTMENT: October 9, 1939, in Denver, Colorado
SERVICE NUMBER: 275640
UNIT: Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0812, Infantry Chief and 0585, First Sergeant
FAMILY: Born to George Hyland Jr. (1895-1924) and Anna Pollack Hyland (1902-1996). One brother, Everett (1923-2019). George was 4 years old when his father passed away. 1, 2 Brother Everett was on the USS Pennsylvania in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and was severely wounded.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at the Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, in late 1939. Assigned to the USS Indianapolis for Sea School from San Diego to Pearl Harbor in early 1940. Transferred to the USS Idaho in the Spring of 1940 and then back to the USS Indianapolis through the Fall of 1941. Assigned to the Navy Yard at Pearl Harbor from early 1942 through the summer of 1942. In the Fall of 1942, he became an instructor of individual combat at the Fleet Marine Force Training Center, Camp Elliott, San Diego, California, through the summer of 1943. Assigned to Company B of the Parachute Training School, Camp Gillespie, San Diego, California, in October of 1943. He was assigned to the 5th Marine Division, 26th Marines, 1st Battalion, in January 1944. Died on June 18, 1945, of acute hepatitis at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Oakland, California. 3, 5 After discussions with his niece, Holly Saenz, it was determined he died of acute hepatitis due to receiving a transfusion of bad blood. He was in the same company as PlSgt Oliver Ellsworth of Portland and PFC Edward Ezepchik of Portland. PFC Ezepchik and PlSgt Ellsworth were killed in action.
Photos contributed by a niece, Holly Saenz.
Locket with brothers Everett (left) and George (right). Photos contributed by Holly Saenz.
The photo below, from the Connecticut Military Portrait Collection, Connecticut State Library, Identifier: PG570. Used with permission.
From The Stamford Advocate, June 22, 1945; contributed by Ellen Sullivan, Senior Reader Services Librarian, The Ferguson Library, One Public Library Plaza, Stamford
Veteran Marine Victim of Sniper In Iwo Jima Battle
Gunnery Sergeant George F. Hyland, USMC, died on June 18 at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California, from wounds received in combat on Iwo Jima. Born in Stamford on November 26, 1920, Sergeant Hyland attended St. John’s Parochial School and Stamford High School. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 1939 and served in combat from the early stages of the Pacific campaign. Returned to this country and made an instructor in individual jungle combat, Sergeant Hyland volunteered for the Para-Marines, a unit which was disbanded soon after its inception. He then transferred to the Fifth Marine Division, entering combat with them on Iwo Jima. Ashore on the first day of battle, Sergeant Hyland was wounded by shell fragments. He refused to be hospitalized. Struck in the abdomen by a sniper’s bullet on the thirteenth day of the battle. Sergeant Hyland was hospitalized in the Marianas Islands and then brought to the Naval Hospital at Oakland for further treatment. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. George Hyland; a son, George Hyland Jr., both of San Diego, California; his mother, Mrs. Anna Hyland, now residing in San Diego, and a brother, Radioman Third Class Everett J. Hyland, stationed at the Naval Air Station in Charleston, South Carolina, and holder of the Purple Heart for wounds received in the Pearl Harbor attack. Funeral arrangements are as yet incomplete. Interment will be in Stamford after services from the Convery & Hanley Funeral Home.
Citation to accompany the award of the Navy Cross
For action during World War II, U.S. Marine Corps, 5th Marine Division, General order number 56773, December 10, 1948.
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Gunnery Sergeant George F. Hyland (MCSN: 275640), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving with Company C, First Battalion, Twenty-Sixth Marines, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 2 March 1945.
Acting on his own initiative, when a platoon was pinned down by hostile machine-gun fire and the leader wounded, Gunnery Sergeant Hyland boldly raced through enemy fire lanes to assume command of this unit. Although severely wounded twice on the previous day and seriously wounded again in the abdomen and back during this action, he courageously pressed on in the face of continuous hostile fire. Leading his platoon forward in a determined attack, he effectively directed his men in overrunning and occupying the Japanese positions before he was evacuated.
His courageous leadership, initiative, and heroic devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on Gunnery Sergeant Hyland and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country. 4
Memorialized on the Stamford Veterans Memorial, 138 Atlantic Street, Stamford, Connecticut.
Buried on June 27, 1945, in Veterans Cemetery, 41 Hecker Ave, Darien, Connecticut; Section SE, Row AE, #84. Plots are chronological by date of death. Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
1 – 1930 census https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/
2 – 1940 census https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census
3 – https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5180/
4 – https://homeofheroes.com/distinguished-service-cross/service-cross-world-war-ii/navy-cross-world-war-ii/navy-cross-world-war-ii-marine-corps/navy-cross-world-war-ii-marine-corps-h-k/
5 – USMC Casualty Report received via FOIA request