, born
3 September 1920 in
Stamford, Connecticut , enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve on
13 January 1942 . Serving on
Guadalcanal , Private First Class Larson was killed in action
8 October 1942, while attempting to swim the
Matankiau River under heavy enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade. He was posthumously awarded the
Silver Star for this selfless courage, and shared in the
Presidential Unit Citation awarded the
1st Marine Division for its
Actions On Guadalcanal.
In 1945, the
Destroyer USS ''Everett F. Larson'' (DD-830) was named in his honor.
The name "Everett F. Larson" had been assigned to DE-554 in 1943, but that ship was canceled in 1944.
