NAME Gordon Lee Lyon, Jr. |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-11950 |
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UNIT VMF-124 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD Indianola, MS |
NEXT OF KIN Wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Wood Lyon |
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DATE OF BIRTH 1920 |
ENTERED SERVICE 1941 |
DATE OF LOSS February 14, 1943 |
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REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Bougainville |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing In Action Declared Dead February 15, 1944 |
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CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Lieutenant Gordon L. Lyon, Jr., was a Marine fighter pilot assigned to VMF-124. He flew combat missions out of Guadalcanal in support of the campaign for the northern Solomon Islands. On 14 February 1943, VMF-124 was assigned to provide an escort for heavy bombers striking Japanese ships off Bougainville. In the ensuing “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” eight American aircraft were lost. One was F4U-1 02187, piloted by Lt. Lyon, which collided with a Zero and then crashed.Lieutenant Lyon was declared dead on 15 February 1944. |
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INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Second Lieutenant (posthumous First Lieutenant) |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered |
MEMORIALS National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific |
Biography:
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Articles & Records:
I am his niece and very very proud of my uncle. He was a brave young man to do all that he did.
That’s awesome…and you should be proud…such a courageous young man…at 22 I was trying to be a rock star drummer in L.A…RIP to your uncle