Colonel George Morgan Chinn, USMC
Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Colonel George Morgan Chinn, USMC. This Mercer County native was one of nation's leading authorities on automatic weapons. He attended Millersburg Military Institute and Centre College. A Marine veteran of WW II and the Korean War, Chinn observed combat use of weapons and served as trouble shooter. His findings led to Navy-sponsored The Machine Gun, five volumes on evolution of automatic weapons. (Reverse) Weapons Expert - As consultant during Vietnam War, Chinn (1902-1987) helped develop grenade launchers and related air and ground weapons which were also used in Persian Gulf War. He was awarded several weapons patents. In 1960 he became director of the Kentucky Historical Society and wrote works on Mercer County and pioneer Kentucky. Presented by Marine Corps League of Kentucky.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
A Mercer County native and Marine veteran of World War II and Korea, Colonel George Morgan Chinn (1902–1987) became one of the nation's foremost authorities on automatic weapons. His firsthand study of weapons in combat produced the five-volume Navy-sponsored work The Machine Gun, and as a Vietnam-era consultant he helped develop grenade launchers later used through the Persian Gulf War. In 1960 he also served as director of the Kentucky Historical Society and wrote extensively on pioneer Kentucky.
Why it matters
Chinn's career bridges the American soldier's frontline experience and the engineering that shaped modern arms across half a century of conflict.
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Related people
- · George Morgan Chinn
Related events
- · World War II
- · Korean War
- · Vietnam War
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