1st Lt. Cannon, Battery Commander of Battery H, 6th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, U.S.  Marine Corps, was at his command post when he was mortally wounded by enemy shellfire. He refused to be evacuated from his post until after his men, who had been wounded by the same shell, were evacuated, and directed the reorganization of his command post until forcibly removed. As a result of his utter disregard of his own condition he died from loss of blood.

At 0630 on the 7th of December, 1941, Midway received notice that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Later that night, at 2130, Midway's Naval Air Station was attacked by Japanese Naval forces returning from the Pearl Harbor attack.  The base was shelled by a raiding force estimated to be two cruisers and two destroyers.  Return fire from defense batteries struck the Japanese ships and forced them to retire under a smoke screen.

The following personnel were killed by the Japanese bombardment:

The seaplane hangar and the hospital were hit and burned by the bombardment. 1st Lt. George H. Cannon, USMC, was the first Marine of World War II to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Lt. Cannon was commanding a gun battery when a Japanese salvo crashed into his command post, breaking both of his legs and crushing his pelvis.  Although bleeding profusely, he refused to leave his command post, where he died from loss of blood.    His Battery did not stop firing.

(History of the Midway Islands - by: Russell a. Apple & Gerald Swedberg - March 1979