WWII · Battle Death Record
George Keathley
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army · Texas
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- George Keathley
- Entered the Service From
- Texas
- Rank
- Staff Sergeant
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Unit / Regiment
- Company B, 338th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- September 14, 1944
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge
- Burial / Memorial
- Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Florence, Italy
- Grave
- Plot D, Row 11, Grave 26
Their story
On September 14, 1944, near Mount Altuzzo, Italy, Staff Sergeant Keathley assumed command of three rifle platoons that had been left leaderless by heavy casualties, redistributing ammunition and organizing the defense against repeated German counterattacks. Though mortally wounded by a grenade fragment, he continued to direct and encourage his men until the enemy assault was repulsed, dying of his wounds shortly afterward. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for this action.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.