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name
MCDONALD, John M - Date of
birth
4 February 1921 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan -
Hometown
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-553224 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
M Company,
3rd Battalion,
304th Infantry Regiment,
76th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
5 March 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Orenhofen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Luxembourg
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| I | 10 | 30 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Guy F. McDonald (father)
Florence (Mars) McDonald (mother)
Guy F. McDonald Jr. (brother)
More information
2nd Lt John M. McDonald graduated from the University of Minnesota in June 1942.He was commissioned in July 1944 and was sent overseas in December 1944.
He was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously. He had killed three Germans with a hand grenade and shot two enemy machine gunners. He was mortally wounded while returning to his own machine gun post. This happened during a German counter-attack. The severity of the enemy had forced an American rifle company to retreat, leaving Lt McDonalds platoon without support.
Source of information: André Koch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / Headstone and Interment Record / U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, http://76thdivision.com, www.newspapers.com - Star Tribune - 14 October 1945
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Star Tribune - 18 March 1945