Quick Facts
Biography
Harold Douglas Shannon (September 16, 1892 – February 16, 1943) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Biography
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Shannon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on October 17, 1913 and served in Mexico in 1914. On July 5, 1917, he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve and was subsequently commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. From October 1917 through the end of World War I, he served in France and was awarded the Silver Star and the Croix de Guerre for his actions during the Belleau Wood Campaign. In October 1919, he returned to the United States.
Over the next 20 years, he served at various stations in the United States and completed tours in Santo Domingo, Nicaragua, and the Panama Canal Zone. In July 1941, he was transferred from San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor; and, in September 1941, to Midway Island. He was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership of the 6th Defense Battalion during the Battle of Midway.
Colonel Shannon remained on Midway into August. He was then transferred to Pearl Harbor; and, in October, to San Diego, California, where he died on February 16, 1943 from pneumonia
Namesake
USS Shannon (DM-25) was named for him.