Medal of Honor: George H. Mallon

We wrap up the Kansas World War I Medal of Honor recipients with Captain George H. Mallon.  Mallon was born on June 15, 1877 at Ogden, Kansas.  He was commissioned a Captain in August 1917, and served with the 132nd Infantry, 33rd Division.

Captain Mallon’s moment came on September 26, 1918 in the Boies-de-Forge, France.  Separated from his company because of fog, he led nine men forward and captured nine machine guns without the loss of any men.  He continued forward, capturing a battery and two more machine guns.  At the end, 100 enemy soldiers had been captured, 11 machine guns, four howitzers, and an a antiaircraft gun.

Mallon passed away on August 2, 1934, and is buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery at Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For more information, see the link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Mallon

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This concludes the listing of the seven men with a Kansas connection that received the Medal of Honor from their action in World War I.  If you should happen to know of another WWI recipient with a Kansas connection–such as having lived in the state for a few years, as opposed to having dinner in Wichita one evening in 1932–please comment below and let us know who it is.

I would also like to point out that most of the posts from myself are going to be brief.  The Medal of Honor series was intended to give basic recognition to the men; one can easily find more information on all somewhere online.  My aim is to get a little information out so that it hopefully might inspire some ideas for those organizations and individuals considering events recognizing the centennial of the First World War.

Those who are doing so should remember sources that are available to them online, although visits to the institutions are strongly encouraged.  Please check the website of the Kansas Historical Society for WWI resources:  http://www.kshs.org/

And of course, just a few miles across the state line in Missouri is the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.  Please visit their website as well:  https://www.theworldwar.org/

Blair Tarr

Blair Tarr is the Museum Curator of the Kansas State Historical Society. He oversees the three-dimensional collections of the Society, but has special interests in the Civil War, Wichita-made Valentine diners, and Leavenworth's Abernathy Furniture. In the last few years he has also done a lot of cramming on The Great War. He is a past president of the Kansas Museums Association and the Civil War Round Tables of both Kansas City and Eastern Kansas. He is currently a board member of the Heritage League of Greater Kansas City.