| Veteran |
WILLIAM G. WALSH |
| Service |
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| Location |
ON EXPRESS WAY, SOUTH BOUND NEAR KEYSTONE |
| Neighborhood |
DORCHESTER |
| Type |
SQUARE |
| Post |
OLD DORCHESTER POST |
| Dedication |
William Gary Walsh
United States Marine Corps
7 April 1922 – 27 February 1945
William Gary Walsh was born on April 7, 1922 in Roxbury, Ma. He attended public schools in Boston before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps on January 6, 1942 and began active duty that same day. William served as Gunnery Sergeant in the 2nd Raider Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, and the 5th Marine Division. From Camp Lejeune, he went to Samoa and was assigned to a unit of Marine scouts. His next assignment was with the 2nd Marine Raider battalion, the famed Carlson's Raiders. During the United States' war with Japan in the Pacific, he saw action at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Tarawa, and in the Russell Islands. He was KIA at Iwo Jima, while leading his men against a fortified hill on February 27, 1945, he threw himself on a hand grenade, sacrificing his life to save the lives of fellow Marines. For this heroic act, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, William was also awarded with the Purple Heart and the World War II Victory Medal. William was Initially buried in the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, however, Gny Sgt Walsh's remains were later reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery on April 20, 1948. William was survived by his wife Mary Louise, a resident of Roxbury.
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