George Keen was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on 11 August 1917. Little is known about his life before the war; he graduated from Boston Technical High School with the class of 1934, and as a civilian worked for the Boston Edison Company.

Keen first enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on 24 November 1939. He had an interest in aviation and attended weekly drills with Reserve Scouting Squadron One based at Squantum, Massachusetts. In early 1941, Private Keen traveled to Quantico, Virginia to attend ordnance school; by the time war broke out, he was a corporal serving with VMO-151.

In March of 1942, Keen joined the regular Marine Corps; he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and sent to Pensacola, Florida for pre-flight training. He earned his wings as an NCO and became a “flying sergeant” with VMSB-235, a Marine dive bomber squadron commissioned on 1 January 1943.

Keen deployed to the Solomon Islands with VMSB-235 for his first combat tour. He received a commission to the rank of second lieutenant in June of 1943, and amassed a considerable string of missions in the Solomons.

Keen usually flew with Sergeant Richard J. Schlotterer, and the two shared a narrow escape on a combat mission to Kolombangara. Engine failure caused Keen to ditch their aircraft near New Georgia, but fortunately the Marines were picked up by an Army boat within minutes. They were soon back on the flying roster, none the worse for wear.

On 9 November 1943, Keen and Schlotterer took off on a routine training flight practicing radio problems. Their course took them on a bearing east of Efate, about a dozen miles from the tip of Manuro Point.

At approximately 1400 hours, SBD-4 #10737 was seen to go into a steep glide towards the water. The pilot managed to pull the aircraft into a quarter turn, but failed to slow the descent. They hit the water with a gigantic splash and sank like a stone. No trace of Keen or Schlotterer was observed after the crash.

Area searches continued for three days with no results. The two Marines were officially declared dead as of 9 November 1943.

CENOTAPHS
Honolulu Memorial, Courts Of The Missing