First Lieutenant John V. Power
United States Marine Corps Reserve
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as platoon leader attached to the Fourth Marine Division during the landing and the battle of Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, February 1, 1944. Severely wounded in the stomach while setting a demolition charge on a Japanese pillbox, First Lieutenant Power was steadfast in his determination to remain in action. Protecting his wound with his left hand and firing with his right, he courageously advanced as another hostile position was taken under attack, fiercely charging the opening made by the explosion and emptying his carbine into the pillbox. While attempting to reload and continue the attack, First Lieutenant Power was shot again in the stomach and head and collapsed in the doorway. His exceptional valor, fortitude and indomitable fighting spirit in the face of withering enemy fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President of the United States
Footnote: First Lieutenant
John "Jack" Power was born 20 November 1918 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross that is located in Worcester.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and was commissioned at Quantico in
that year, and was assigned to K-3-24, Fourth Marine Division.
On 30 October 1944, President Roosevelt read the
citation aloud and presented the posthumous award to his mother, Mrs. George
Power, in the presence of his father and sisters. His remains were returned
on 26 October 1947, for burial in Saint Johns's Cemetery in Worcester.
On 3 November 1947 a statue was dedicated in his honor in the presenes
of his parents. It stands on the Franklin Street side of the Worcester
City Hall. A plaque on the monument reads as follows: "In honor of John
Vincent Power and to perpetuate the memory of his brave deeds and supreme
sacrifice for our country this monument is dedicated by the City of Worcester."
For thiry-five years a memorial service was organized
and conducted annually by a Life Member of the Fourth Marine Division Association,
Andrew F. McCarthy. In recent years this responsibility has been assumed
by Headquarters Company, Twenty-Fifth Marines, Fourth Marine Division.
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