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James Crowley

  • 2nd Lieutenant James Crowley. Source: Crowley family.
  • Guadalcanal grave of 2nd Lieutenant James F. Crowley, killed in action 18 November 1942. Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, 80-G-43979 (cropped).

James F. Crowley was born in Dorchester, MA. On the very first advance by Company G into the jungle of Guadalcanal, on 18 November 1942, a detail sent out to fetch water at a watering hole was ambushed by Japanese troops. Crowley, a 2nd Lieutenant, led other soldiers in to rescue the troops. He was initially listed as Missing in Action, but it was quickly learned that he had been killed. His grave on Guadalcanal was tended with great care by his fellow soldiers, as seen in Photo #2.