It is with heavy hearts we pass along news and mourn the loss of such an influential and accomplished Dragon Soldier.

Command Sergeant Major George L. Murray, U.S. Army Retired
31 March 1919 – 23 October 2019

CSM (Ret) George Murray was born on 31 March 1919 in New Bedford, Mass. He enlisted in the Army 17 April 1939 out of the Civilian Conservation Corps. He was assigned to Company A, 1st Separate Chemical Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii where he was serving on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He returned to Edgewood Arsenal, Md., in 1942 to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS). After graduation he was assigned to Camp Sibert, Ala. In August 1944, he joined C Company of the 86th Chemical Mortar Battalion in France and served with the battalion for the remainder of World War II.

From the end of the War to 1951, he served in various assignments in CONUS, including the Deseret Chemical Center, UT, the 91st Chemical Mortar Battalion at Fort Lewis, Wash., and the 11th Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. In 1949 he reverted back to the enlisted rank of Master Sergeant. He served as First Sergeant and instructor in the Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) School in Japan from November 1951 to July 1954. Afterwards, he returned to CONUS and served at Fort Dix, N.J., as Committee Chief of the CBR School. He was promoted to Sergeant Major on April 8, 1959 and served as Sergeant Major for the 100th Chemical Group and for the U.S. Army Chemical Corps Training Command. From July 1960 to July 1964, he served at Headquarters Chemical Sections in Orleans, France and Heidelberg, Germany. He returned to Fort McClellan, Ala., in August 1964 and again served as Sergeant Major of the 100th Chemical Group. In January 1969 he was promoted to Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps School, which made him one of the first Sergeants Major to be promoted to the new rank of CSM.

CSM (Ret) Murray is a veteran of both the Pacific and European Theaters of Operations during World II. He is a veteran of Pearl Harbor and the campaigns of Northern France, Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), Rhineland and Germany. His awards include the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC).

After his retirement in 1969, CSM Murray accepted a position as Safety Supervisor, with the FMC Corporation in Anniston, AL. He continues to be active supporting the Chemical Corps Museum and the Chemical Corps Regimental Association (CCRA). He served as the first Honorary Sergeant Major of the Regiment and is a member of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps Hall of Fame. CSM Murray passed in his sleep on the morning of 23 October 2019.

Awards and Decorations:

Bronze Star
Army Commendation Medal, W/OLC
Good Conduct Medal, 6th Award
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, 1 Star
European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal, with Stars
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal, with OLC
Korean Service Medal
UN Service Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Belgium Fourragere