SSG John Harry Dillon

SSG John Harry Dillon was born 10 Mar 1920 in Tazewell County, Virginia. He was the 4th of 7 children born to George Dee and Henrietta C (English) Dillon. His father had farmed his own land in the Gills Creek area of Franklin County, Virginia where the family had lived for many generations but later went to work as a spinner for a local rayon mill in Roanoke, Virginia for which he earned a reported $1248 in 1939. John married Agnes May Gordon in March 1938 and the couple had a daughter in September 1938. John was also able to find work in the area earning $369 in 1939 although he was only able to work 32 weeks in that year and Agnes worked as a checker in a steam laundry but money was probably in short supply for the family of 3 even though they were living with John's parents.

The need for additional income might have well have been a contributing factor in John's decision to enlist in the Virginia Army National Guard. He was still a PVT when the unit, Anti-Tank Company 116th Infantry, was mobilized on 3 Feb 1941. Sent to Fort George Meade, Maryland for in-processing and initial training, the expectation was that this mobilization would end in a year. The attack by the Japanese on 7 Dec 1941 put and end to those hopes and PVT Dillon continued to train with his unit at Fort Meade, near Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the Carolina Maneuvers and at Camp Blanding, Florida. He then shipped out with the unit for England in September 1942. After their arrival in England, the unit began intense training for the planned amphibious assault on the German forces in Nazi occupied France. In March 1944 he suffered an infection and was hospitalized for a time before returning to his unit. John must have demonstrated leadership and soldier skills since mobilization because he had been promoted to SSG before 1 Jun 1944. He participated in the amphibious attack on 6 Jun 1944 and although wounded by artillery fire he remained on duty. He continued to fight with the unit through the bocage to Saint-Lo and Vire and was with his unit as it approached Brest, France. SSG Dillon was killed in action on 21 Aug 1944. 

SSG Dillon was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in the Mountain View Memorial Park in Rocky Mount, Virginia.

Several of John's great-grandfathers served during the Civil War. James Reed Dillon served as a PVT in A Company 53rd Virginia Infantry (CSA), Tyree Thomas Dillon served as PVT in F Company 57th Virginia Infantry (CSA), and George William English served as a CPL in D Company 24th Virginia Infantry (CSA)