William Grant Fournier ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Connecticut
On January 13, 1943 Sergeant Fournier was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army. ★ He is remembered by the people of Connecticut. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
We all benefit when we work together to honor fallen American service members. The Honor States archive is a grassroots initiative. Of the people, by the people, for the people.
▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of William Grant Fournier is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2015-09-11 21:34:53.
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Missing : Core Data
· Enlistment type
· Military occupation or specialty
· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location
· Educational background
· Marriage history
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Service Details
This Profile ID | 323234 |
Service ID | 11014123 |
Name | William Grant Fournier |
From | Norwich, New London County, Connecticut |
Birth Date | June 21, 1913 |
Casualty Date | January 13, 1943 |
War | World War II |
Service Branch | Army |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit/Group | 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division |
Casualty Type | Killed in action |
Location | Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands |
Burial | National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii |
Notable Awards |
★ Medal of Honor
★ Purple Heart |
Remembered |
William Grant Fournier is buried or memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. |
Additional Details
Fournier joined the Army from Winterport, Maine in September 1940, and by January 10, 1943 was serving as a Sergeant in Company M, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.
During a Japanese attack on that day, at Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, he refused an order to withdraw after many men in his unit had been killed or wounded and, with fellow soldier Technician Fifth Grade Lewis Hall, stayed behind to man a machine gun. Hall was killed at the gun, while Fournier was badly wounded and died three days later.
Both men were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on June 5, 1943.
William Grant Fournier was also associated with Waldo county, Maine, USA. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Medal of Honor
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Army Good Conduct Medal
★ Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
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