Neldon Theo French

Neldon Theo French was a soldier in the United States Marine Corps in World War II.

He was born July 25, 1918 in Benton County, Tennessee. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 9, 1940, and was killed in action on October 9, 1942 in the Guadalcanal Campaign. Corporal French was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism in fighting to his death in a defensive post on the Matanikau River, and shared in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded his division for its performance in the initial landings on Guadalcanal.

Namesake
The destroyer escort USS French (DE-367) was named in his honor. She was sponsored by Mrs. Alma M. French, mother of Corporal French, launched on June 17, 1944, and commissioned October 9, 1944.