Harold D. Shannon

Harold Douglas Shannon
Shannon ca. Autumn 1942
Born	(1892-09-16)September 16, 1892 Chicago, Illinois
Died	February 11, 1943(1943-02-11) (aged 50) San Diego, California
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1913 – 1943
Rank	Colonel
Battles / wars	World War I Battle of Belleau Wood Banana Wars Occupation of Nicaragua Occupation of the Dominican Republic World War II First Bombardment of Midway Battle of Midway

Harold Douglas Shannon (September 16, 1892 – February 16, 1943) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Shannon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on October 17, 1913 and served in Mexico in 1914. On July 5, 1917, he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve and was subsequently commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. From October 1917 through the end of World War I, he served in France and was awarded the Silver Star and the Croix de Guerre for his actions during the Belleau Wood Campaign. In October 1919, he returned to the United States.

Over the next 20 years, he served at various stations in the United States and completed tours in Santo Domingo, Nicaragua, and the Panama Canal Zone. In July 1941, he was transferred from San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor; and, in September 1941, to Midway Island. He was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership of the 6th Defense Battalion during the Battle of Midway.

Colonel Shannon remained on Midway into August. He was then transferred to Pearl Harbor; and, in October, to San Diego, California, where he died on February 16, 1943 from pneumonia

Namesake

USS Shannon (DM-25) was named for him.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.