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Remember...George Ward Henry Jr.
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George Ward Henry Jr. was born in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia on January 5, 1945. His parents were Mary Lynch Henry and George Ward Henry Sr. George Jr.'s siblings were Andrew; Charles; Sharon; and Carol, who was known as Sue.
George Henry Jr. attended Weston High School. He entered the military on September 20, 1966, and was enlisted with the Marines, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was trained at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp LeJuene, North Carolina. With the 5th Marines, he served in Vietnam.
Operation Swift began in September 1967, the third operation against the enemy in the 2nd North Vietnamese Army Division in the Que Son Valley. The 2nd North Vietnamese Army Division moved into the valley in the spring of 1967 with a mission to disrupt the coming national elections coming that September and seize rice harvests. The presence of the Marines in the valley was described as "little," but as contact increased in the valley, more Marines were moved in. The NVA was headed for Da Nang through the valley, and the Marines, which had conducted two previous operations against the 2nd North Vietnamese Army, were going to begin a third in an effort to save Da Nang.
The 11-day battle began on September 4, 1967, when the North Vietnamese Army moved into a position held by Company D, 5th Marines. The North Vietnamese quickly overran the position, and Company B was ordered into the fight. Company B was just over two miles away, but on the other side of a river. As they prepared to cross and move to help Company D, they made contact with a large number of North Vietnamese. It was several hours before Company B was able to advance. Author Otto Lehrack, who has written about the fighting that ensued, described it as "a hurricane of violence." ("Operation Swift," VFW Magazine, September 2017, accessed 20 July 2021, http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/article/Operation+Swift/2843462/425867/article.html.) [Lehrack wrote a book (The Road of 10,000 Pains) about the Marines in the Que Son Valley and the four operations that the 5th Marines conducted against the North Vietnamese Army in 1967.]
The North Vietnamese far outnumbered the Marines, and many were lost. On the second day of fighting (September 5, 1967) with Company B, which was rushing to help their fellow 5th Marines, those losses included George Henry Jr., who was killed in action by mortar fire. He received wounds to his face, neck, and chest.
The Weston Democrat reported the news on September 21, 1967, in their article, "Cpl. George W. Henry, Jr. Killed in Vietnam Sept. 5." He was survived by his parents, two brothers, and two sisters. Andrew Henry was an airman at Dow Air Force Base in Maine, and Charles Henry, a student. His sisters, Sharon and Sue, were married and living in New Jersey and Weston, respectively.
| Lance Corporal George Henry was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. A bridge in Lewis County on Rte. 33 is named for him as a memorial. (Ronnell Hunt, "Local Bridge in Weston Is Dedicated in the Name of Fallen Vietnam Veteran," WBOY, 1 July 2018, accessed 23 July 2021, https://www.wboy.com/news/lewis/local-bridge-in-weston-is-dedicated-in-the-name-of-fallen-vietnam-veteran/1276217988/.) |  Military grave marker for George W. Henry Jr. in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. Courtesy Cynthia Mullens |
On January 30, 2018, the West Virginia legislature enacted House Concurrent Resolution 35, which reads:
"Requesting the Division of Highways to name bridge number 21-33-21.23 EB-WB (21A093, 52), locally known as Glady Fork W-Beam bridge (EB & WB), carrying US 33 over Stonecoal Creek in Lewis County, the ‘USMC LCpl George W. Henry, Jr. Memorial Bridge'."Whereas, Lance Corporal Henry was born January 19, 1945, to George Ward Henry and Mary Magdalene Henry of Weston; and
Whereas, Instead of finishing high school, Lance Corporal Henry enlisted in the United States Marines Corps on September 5, 1966, and was assigned to Company B, First Battalion, Fifth Marines in Operation Swift; and
Whereas, On September 5, 1967, Lance Corporal Henry and his unit came under intense enemy rifle fire. In the ensuing battle he was, despite immediate medical attention by a hospital corpsman, mortally wounded and died instantaneously due to the severity of his wounds; and
Whereas, In a letter dated September 11, 1967, from Lieutenant Colonel P. L. Hilgartner to Lance Corporal Henry's mother, Mary Henry, the colonel said, "George was well liked and respected by all who knew him and would be greatly missed by his many friends in the Battalion...A memorial service for George was held in the Battalion Chapel and was attended by the officers and men of the Battalion"; and
Whereas, Lance Corporal Henry's mother received another letter of condolence from Major General Don J. Robertson dated October 2, 1967; and
Whereas, It is fitting that a proper memorial be established for this young man who gave his life in service to his country; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 21-33-21.23 EB-WB (21A093, 21A152), locally known as Glady Fork W-Beam bridge (EB & WB), carrying US 33 over Stonecoal Creek in Lewis County, the "USMC LCpl George W. Henry, Jr. Memorial Bridge"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs at both ends identifying the bridge as the "USMC LCpl George W. Henry, Jr. Memorial Bridge"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.
Article prepared by Cynthia Mullens
July 2021
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
