Christening of the USS Falgout DE-324 July 24 1943

The Falgout was named for George Irvin Falgout. George was born on October 28, 1922 in Raceland, Louisiana. He proudly enlisted in the Naval Reserve on February 19, 1942 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Shortly afterwards, Seaman Second Class Falgout became a crew member of the USS San Francisco (CA-38). Sadly, George was killed in action during the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 12, 1942, But he died as a true and gallant American hero because of his determination to defend his ship to the very end. During the battle, George heroically remained at his battle station and continued to blaze away at a Japanese fighter plane until it crashed into the station and destroyed it. For his great heroism and valor, George was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the 2nd highest medal that can be awarded by the United States Navy , Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

The Falgout (DE-324) was launched July 24 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp. Ltd., Orange, Texas. The launching was sponsored by Mrs. Hayes J. Guidry, sister of Seaman Second Class George Falgout. The Falgout was commissioned November 15 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander H. A. Meyer, USCG.

Here are the names of the people in the photo

Top row, left to right: Ollie Carlos (George's brother-in-law), Gladys Carlos (George's sister), Hayes J. Guidry (George's sister and Falgout sponsor), unknown, George B. Falgout (George's father), and Lieutenant Commander H.A. Meyer, the first skipper of the Falgout.

Bottom row, left to right: Huey Falgout (George's brother), Jerry Falgout (George's brother), and
Curray C. Falgout (George's youngest brother and father of Jeff Falgout, the contributor of this photo).

My sincere and heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to Jeff Falgout, George's nephew, for graciously contributing this fine photo to my website. It shows a very important event in the history of our ship. Your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated, Jeff.

 

To Jeff and the rest of the Falgout family:

I and all other Falgout crew members will never forget your heroic uncle and his extraordinary heroism and valor while doing his duty for our country. We will honor his name and memory forever.