PVT George Checkan was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania on 12 May 1923. He was the 5th of the 10 children that would be born to Michael and Mary (Shargo) Chekan. George was apparently the only person whose name was spelled with the additional "c". Older siblings Elizabeth and Michael died at age 8 and 5 respectively on 5 Feb 1925 of different causes. George's father worked for the Pennsylvania Rail Road in their car shops repairing and maintaining rail cars. He died in September 1929, 1-month after he was struck by an automobile in a hit and run. The family owned their home at 340 North Street in Pottsville which was valued at $1500 in 1930 but their source of support is unknown. They attended Saint Michael's Greek Catholic Church in Saint Clair, Pennsylvania. George's 2 oldest siblings were apparently supporting the family in 1940 but only contributed about $760 in 1939. However, George was able to complete 2-years of high school before leaving school to go to work. He was working for Sun Ship Company in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1942. At that time it was one of the 5 largest shipyards in the country.
George was drafted in May 1943. He underwent his training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. After his training he was sent to the European theater and transferred from the replacement depot to A Company 116th Infantry on 28 Jun 1944. PVT Checkan was struck by fragments from an artillery shell and killed in action near Saint-Lo, France on 17 Jul 1944.
PVT Checkan was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Saint Clair, Pennsylvania.
Younger brother Paul Chekan served in the Korean War.
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