George Lafayette Mabry Jr.

Major General George L. Mabry Jr., Medal of Honor

George Lafayette Mabry Jr. first entered combat on D-Day, landing on Utah Beach with the 4th Infantry Division. Before the war ended, he had earned the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and Medal of Honor. He remained in uniform for another thirty years, eventually rising to major general and holding senior commands from Germany and Vietnam to the Panama Canal Zone.

Early Life

George Lafayette Mabry Jr. was born on September 14, 1917, in Stateburg, near Sumter, South Carolina.

He attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, where he studied English and psychology. He played college baseball and football and participated in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Before graduating in 1940, he also worked as a farm manager and played semi-professional baseball.

After graduation, Mabry was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army and assigned to the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.

D-Day

Mabry deployed to England in January 1944 in preparation for the invasion of occupied Europe.

On June 6, 1944, he landed on Utah Beach in Normandy with the 4th Infantry Division.

With German fire obstructing the movement inland, Mabry moved forward through dangerous ground, helped open a route through enemy defenses and led soldiers against German positions blocking the advance from the beach.

His leadership and gallantry during the Normandy invasion earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, the United States Army’s second-highest decoration for valor.

D-Day was only the beginning of Mabry’s combat service.

As the 4th Infantry Division fought across France, he continued to distinguish himself. During the fighting associated with the St. Lô breakthrough, Mabry exposed himself to enemy fire while helping direct supporting fire for soldiers trapped by a German ambush. His actions resulted in the award of the Silver Star.

By the autumn of 1944, Mabry was commanding the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant colonel.

Hürtgen Forest

In November 1944, the 4th Infantry Division entered the Hürtgen Forest, one of the most difficult and costly battlefields encountered by the United States Army in Europe.

Dense forest, mines, artillery, fortified positions and determined German resistance made even small advances extremely dangerous.

On November 20, Mabry’s battalion encountered a heavily defended German position near Schevenhütte.

Rather than direct the attack from the rear, Mabry went forward himself.

Under intense enemy fire, he entered a minefield and personally discovered a safe route through it. He then moved ahead with scouts toward German defensive positions.

When they encountered a wire obstacle protected by booby traps, Mabry worked under fire to disconnect the explosive devices and open a passage.

Continuing forward, he surprised enemy soldiers in their positions, capturing some at bayonet point. He then led attacks against a series of German bunkers and engaged enemy troops at extremely close range.

With the immediate defenses broken, Mabry reorganized his men and continued the assault across approximately 300 yards of exposed ground swept by enemy fire.

His personal courage opened the way for his battalion and helped break the German defenses.

For his actions on November 20, 1944, Lieutenant Colonel George L. Mabry Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed)

Lieutenant Colonel Mabry distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty near Schevenhütte, Germany, on November 20, 1944.

While leading his battalion through heavily defended terrain, he personally entered a minefield under enemy fire and established a safe route through it. Moving ahead of his troops, he helped clear a booby-trapped wire obstacle and led the attack against fortified enemy positions.

Mabry captured enemy soldiers at bayonet point, engaged German troops in close combat and participated personally in the destruction and capture of enemy bunkers.

He then led his battalion forward across exposed, fire-swept terrain, inspiring his soldiers to continue the attack and overcome the enemy defenses.

His extraordinary courage and leadership reflected the highest traditions of the military service.

Continuing Army Service

Mabry remained in the Army after the Second World War.

His postwar career included service in the Panama Canal Zone, where he played an important role in the development of the Army’s Jungle Warfare Training Center. He later commanded the 31st Infantry Regiment in South Korea and held senior assignments involving Army planning, development and operations.

As his responsibilities increased, Mabry advanced through the general officer ranks.

He commanded the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, and in 1966 led a U.S. Army evaluation team sent to Vietnam to study combat operations and Army effectiveness.

He subsequently commanded the Army Combat Developments Command Experimentation Command at Fort Ord, California.

In January 1968, Mabry assumed command of the 8th Infantry Division in West Germany.

Vietnam

In April 1969, Major General Mabry returned to Vietnam for a senior assignment with U.S. Army Vietnam.

His responsibilities placed him at the senior command level during a difficult period of the war and drew on nearly three decades of experience in infantry combat, command and Army planning.

He remained in Vietnam until 1970.

Final Commands

In December 1970, Mabry returned to the Panama Canal Zone to command U.S. Army Southern Command.

He remained in that position until December 1974, overseeing American Army responsibilities in a strategically important region with which he had already been associated during earlier assignments.

In January 1975, he assumed command of Army Readiness Region V at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Major General George L. Mabry Jr. retired from the United States Army on August 1, 1975, completing thirty-five years of military service.

The young ROTC graduate who had entered the Army as a second lieutenant in 1940 had retired as a major general.

Later Life

After retirement, Mabry returned to South Carolina and settled in Columbia. He remained active in community affairs and was particularly involved with veterans and youth organizations.

He also continued speaking publicly about his wartime experiences and military service.

George Lafayette Mabry Jr. died on July 13, 1990, at the age of 72.

He was buried at the Church of the Holy Cross cemetery in Stateburg, South Carolina, close to where his life had begun.

Mabry’s Medal of Honor action in the Hürtgen Forest was the most celebrated moment of his career, but it represented only part of an extraordinary record. He had gone ashore under fire on D-Day, earned the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star during the campaign across Europe, fought at the head of his battalion in Germany, and then devoted another three decades to the United States Army.

From Utah Beach to the Hürtgen Forest, Korea, Vietnam and senior command, George L. Mabry Jr.’s military career spanned thirty-five years and three decades of profound change in the United States Army.