George Stoner Weaber

Second Lieutenant George S. Weaber was born in Dacoma, Oklahoma, in 1919. After graduating from Enid High School in 1938, he attended Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, participating in Army ROTC until his 1940 mobilization with the Oklahoma National Guard. He enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to Headquarters Company, 189th Field Artillery, 45th Infantry Division. He participated in VIII Corps and Third Army field maneuvers throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. After one year of Army service, he was honorably discharged in 1941.

Later that year, Weaber enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve, assigned to Camp Pendleton, California. He was promoted to sergeant in April 1943, recommended for Officer Candidate School, and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in August 1943. He subsequently completed officer training at Quantico, Virginia, and Field Artillery courses at Camp Pendleton.

On 15 September 1944 2Lt Weaber deployed to the island of Peleliu with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines tasked with directing naval gunfire during assaults. Leading his men through enemy sniper fire to an observation position on Hill 3, he successfully directed naval bombardment against Japanese infantry positions. On the way downhill, he and his men were suddenly pinned down by machine-gun fire.  Seeking a better position to protect his men and escape, Weaber exposed himself to attract enemy fire as a distraction, and remained behind to ensure his men could withdraw. He was killed in action on 27 September 1944.

For his extraordinary heroism and sacrifice, 2Lt George Weaber was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.