Garlin Murl Conner

Garlin Murl Conner (June 2, 1919 – November 5, 1998) was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Second World War. Assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division and serving in North Africa and Europe, he has been labeled the "second most decorated soldier" after Audie Murphy. Although recommended for a posthumous Medal of Honor for his actions in Houssen, France, the awarding of the medal was denied by a U.S. District Judge on a technicality.

Early life
Conner was born on June 2, 1919 in Clinton County, Kentucky.

Army service
Conner was conscripted and enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 1, 1941 in Louisville, Kentucky and completed his basic training at Fort Lewis. He deployed overseas as a member of K Company, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He served in French Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sicily, Italy and France.

Conner was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for action against enemy forces on January 24, 1945 near Houssen, France. With disregard for a recent hip wound, Conner joined his unit in a ditch on the front lines against the German offensive action, during which time he directed his men for three hours by telephone. During the action, Conner killed 50 German soldiers with return fire. Lt. Harold Wigetman was a witness to the action and credits Conner with saving the 3rd Battalion.

He was wounded seven times. After his unit was sent to occupied Austria, Conner was sent back to the U.S. for rest prior to being sent to fight in the Pacific theater. The War ended before he could be sent overseas a second time. During his service, Conner received a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant and was subsequently promoted to first lieutenant.

Later life
Conner married Pauline Wells on July 9, 1945. They had one son, Paul, one grandson and three granddaughters. Conner was a businessman in Kentucky and was active in veterans organizations. He was handicapped from his war wounds and from heart surgery. Conner died in 1998. In 2012, the U.S. Army honored Conner by designating a portion of a new maintenance facility at Fort Benning, Georgia as Conner Hall.

Posthumous Medal of Honor campaign
Pauline Conner waged a seventeen-year campaign to gain Garlin the Medal of Honor for the action on January 24, 1945 in France that resulted in his being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. On March 11, 2014, U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell ruled that Pauline had waited too long to submit her most recent request.