Faciat Georgius

Faciat Georgius (Let George Do It)
Obverse of the Faciat Georgius
Type	Commemorative (Unofficial) Medal
Eligibility	For serving with the 1st MARDIV on Guadalcanal between August 7, 1942 and January 5, 1943
Status	Obsolete
Reverse of the Faciat Georgius

History

After the initial success of the landings on Guadalcanal the Marines of the 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) the Imperial Japanese forces rallied. On D+3 Japanese Naval & Air forces joined the battle. On 10 August, the U.S. Naval Forces, outgunned, were withdrawn after unloading only half the supplies needed by the entrenched Marines. Several weeks would pass before the ships & supplies returned, leaving the Marines on their own subsisting on captured enemy rations.

During a lull in the fighting Col. (later MGEN) Merrill B. Twining suggested that a commemorative medal be struck. He suggested that the suspending ribbon be made of worn green twill fabric from a Marine utility uniform and bear the inscription “Let George Do It”, the division’s state side motto from training days when they seemed to draw more than their fair share of onerous assignments. The motto was translated into Latin by Australian Capt. Martin Clemens. The artist who designed the medal was Capt. (later COL.) Donald L. Dickenson, who drew the designs on captured Japanese post cards using a half dollar to draw the circles.

At this point the history of the George is lost to memory. All that can be truly documented is that the medals were made in Australia using a lost wax casting process as the cost of creating a die would have been prohibitive. The number of medals cast range anywhere from 25 to several hundred with 50 being the commonly agreed upon number. The medal was issued without a clasp, but instead was awarded suspended from the oversized safety pins used for closing Navy shipboard laundry bags. The specimen pictured here was awarded to a General, so it may have been given special treatment or altered later.

Various accounts also state that the ribbon, to be official, was washed in the Lunga river of Guadalcanal, as well an Australian Pound had to be paid by anyone wanting a medal, but these accounts are unverified. A certificate was issued with each medal. Pictured in this article is a scan of certificate #2 which was awarded to MGEN William H. Rupertus (U.S.M.C.) from which we can derive an award date of May, 1943.

In recent years fakes have been cast and can be identified by a different metal, different patina and a loss of detail especially in the fingers on the obverse.

Criteria

Awarded to officers who served on Guadalcanal between August 7, 1942 and January 5, 1943.

Wear

Not authorised for wear on any official uniform.

Description and symbolism

Obverse

A hand extended form a U.S. Navy uniform sleeve dropping a hot potato to an entrenched Marine. A cactus was included to symbolise the code name of the landings; "Operation Cactus." At the bottom are the words "Faciat Georgius"

Reverse

The rear end of a cow with an electric fan blowing across it symbolizing the times "when the s*** hit the fan." The words:

In Fond Rememberance of

The Happy Days Spent

From Aug. 7th 1942

To Jan. 5th 1943

U.S.M.C.

Ribbon

The ribbon is a washed olive drab and made from the twill cloth of the U.S.M.C.utility uniform.

Notable recipients

United States Marine Corps

• BGEN James J. Keating
• William H. Rupertus

References

"Let George Do It" by P.L. Thompson, LEATHERNECK MAGAZINE, August, 1982

"The George MEdal" by F.B. Nihart, THE OLD BREED NEWS of teh First Marine Division Association, Inc., November 1973