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1st MARDIV 3x WIA Okinawa and Korea


Peyton_Aukland41
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Peyton_Aukland41

George Ward Vaught was born into a typical family before the Great Depression on June 28th, 1928. Born in the small town of Quality, Kentucky, Vaught worked the family farm as most boys did during the depression to try and keep food on the table. Vaught’s mother sadly died on February 24th, 1930 before George has even turned 2. At the age of 15, Vaught left school, determined to enlist in the Marine Corps to do his part. He lied about his age stating he was born December 11th, 1925 which would’ve made him 18 at the time but his real date of birth was June 18th, 1928 which made his actual age 15. Nonetheless, Vaught made it into the Corps due to his large stature and very mature nature. Sometime during or after boot camp, his lie was caught and the Marine Corps discovered his real age. But after receiving his birth certificate the Marine Corps found out that Vaught’s father knew of his enlistment and didn't care that his son had enlisted. Following this and a psychological evaluation that led psychologists to say Vaught had the maturity of an 18-year-old, the Marine Corps retained his enlistment. Vaught made it all the way through boot camp and was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. It was at this point he landed as a replacement for the decimated 7th Marines on Peleliu on September 28th, 1944 at the age of 16. Vaught would fight as a machine gunner with the 7th Marines the rest of the Peleliu campaign without receiving any wounds. After Peleliu, Vaught and the 7th Marines would land on Okinawa apart of the invasion force. Almost two months into combat Vaught earned his first Purple Heart when he was hit on the left side by enemy shrapnel on May 13th, 1945 during the final push for Dakeshi Ridge.

Here is a quote from “A Brief History of the 7th Marines” -

“A seesaw battle for control of the ridge raged on 12 May. The fighting was so violent that it brought back memories of the battles of Peleliu. Dakeshi Ridge was finally secured on the 13th. The enemy apparently had remained determined to fight to the last man, because they held out for nearly the whole day despite the employment by the Marines of tanks, self-propelled 75mm guns, and 37mm anti-tank guns”

This put him out of action for several days but, the tough 16-year-old kid persevered and returned to the field. Only a few days after returning, Vaught earned a Gold star for his purple heart. Enemy action on June 5th resulted in Vaught receiving burns on his left ankle. Again Vaught was out of action but his determination led to him returning to the battlefield to fight on until the end of the battle on Okinawa. Vaught was returned stateside where he was discharged but then re-enlisted in 1946. Over the next 4 years, Vaught got himself into a lot of trouble with authority including a verbal altercation with other prisoners in a Jail in Guantanamo City, Cuba. All of these offenses almost earned Vaught a dishonorable discharge but his pleas for forgiveness were granted and he remained enlisted. After service in China and Cuba, Vaught went on to serve with F/2/5 in Korea. As a Platoon Sergeant, Vaught and his platoon participated in the capture of Inchon and moved on to try and Capture Seoul, Korea. Here on September 24th, 1950 Vaught would receive A gunshot wound to the left side. This would take him out for a little while longer but Vaught still wouldn’t give up and returned to the field again as a Machine-gun platoon sergeant and then a Platoon Gunnery Sergeant. Vaught would serve until his final honorable discharge on March 31st, 1954 at the age of 25. Following this Vaught returned to Kentucky and then records of his life went silent. The other facts I am aware of are that he lived in Tennessee for a short time and then moved to Missouri and lived there for the rest of his life until passing away on July 23rd, 1997. Sadly it doesn’t look like he was ever married or had any children and there is no information online about his burial. It is an absolute honor and privilege to carry on the story of a young boy who wanted to serve his country so bad he lied about his age and then participated in two of the most hellish battles in World War Two where he was wounded twice before his 17th birthday. I’m 18 right now and I can’t even imagine going through half of what he experienced. Thank you for your service and Rest in Peace Mr. Vaught.

 

 

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