Griner, George Wesley Jr, born 28-09-1895, in Carroll, Georgia the only child to Major General George Wesley Griner Sr
and his wife Frances Griner,
was the Assistant Chief of Staff in the War Department General Staff in 1942, as a Colonel. Appointed as Assistant Chief of Staff US European Theater of Operations until 1943 and assigned in 1943 as the Assistant Commanding General of the 77th Division, nicknamed, “Metropolitan Division” and “Statue of Liberty Division”
under Major General, Roscoe Barnet Woodruff
who died old age 84, on 24-04-1975, in San Antonio. The Okinawa campaign was next on the list and the 77th landed on the Island in April, 1945. Ernie Pyle was with the 77th and it was there he met his death on the field, killed by a sniper. The island was secure by April 21st and the Statue of Liberty men shifted to Okinawa where tanks and flamethrowers were employed by the division to throw Japs out of “impregnable” mountain positions and to capture the heights near Shuri. In the action at Shuri, the 77th turned to the beach to repel an attempted Jap landing by Imperial Marines. The 77th killed 110 of the 300 who got ashore and pushed the rest into the sea. The 77th took Chocolate Hill, Sugar Loaf Hill, Shuri and Naha, continuing to mop up scattered Japs after 21-05-1945, when organized resistance ended on Okinawa. The 77th casualties in 260 days of combat were 7.461. Then General Griner was transferred to the Airborne as Commanding General of the 13th Airborne Division
, end 1943. This division arrived in New York City on 23 August, but did not leave the United States before the surrender of Japan in September 1945. With the conflict at an end, the division was no longer required by the United States Army, and it was permanently inactivated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on 25-02-1946, with its personnel transferred to the command of the 82nd Airborne Division and in November 1943 already transferred as Commanding General of the 98th Division in the Pacific. The 98th, nicknamed, “Iroquois”
arrived in Japan on 27-09-1945 and served in Osaka, Japan as part of the occupying force until 16-02-1946 when the unit was inactivated. George Griner took command of 27th Infantry Division during the final stages of the Saipan campaign from June 1944. The original commander of 27th Infantry Division, Ralph Corbet Smith
, had been relieved by Holland “Howland Mad” Smith
for the history of poor performance by his division. Ralph Corbet Smith died at the very old age of 104, on 21-01-1998. Holland Smith later credited Griner with markedly improving the performance of the division, but Griner came away with a “firm conviction that he [Holland Smith] is so prejudiced against the Army that no Army Division serving under his command alongside of Marine Divisions can expect that their deeds will receive fair and honest evaluation”
Death and burial ground of Griner, George Wesley Jr.
General George Griner who was married with Olive Self who died age 58, on 03-11-1956, in Georgia retired from the Service in 1946 and died old age 80, on 03-10-1975 and is buried on the Mobile National Cemetery, Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, Plot 8.


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