George couldn't get the army out of his blood until Korea, where he lost his blood.

George Ashton was born on February 9, 1914, in New Mexico, to Mr. and Mrs. George Ashton. He remained in that state with his parents and brother during his formative years. The family later moved to the Pajaro Valley where George attended Watsonville High School for three years.

Shortly after leaving high school in 1932, Ashton joined the US Army and remained in the service until 1935. After his discharge he returned to Watsonville, married Margaret and was hired by the Watsonville Lumber Company. The couple had two children George Jr. in 1937 and Emilie in 1939.

On July 27, 1942, George re-enlisted in the army in Monterey and served throughout World War II in the Persian Gulf and India. When the war ended, he returned to Watsonville and to his job as a foreman at the lumber company.

In the late 1940s Ashton decided to make the military his career and re-enlisted in the US Army at Fort Ord. He was assigned to the 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion of the 24th Infantry Division and sent to Japan. When the North Koreans attacked South Korea in June 1950, elements of the 24th Infantry Division were the first to arrive in Korea. Their mission was to fight a delaying action against the invading North Koreans.

By the middle of September 1950, UN forces had contained the NKA and were ready to break out of the Pusan Perimeter. The 24th Infantry crossed the Naktong River near Waegwan and during that crossing, which cost him his life, Sergeant First Class Ashton earned a Silver Star. The Watsonville Register-Pajaronian issue of May 2, 1951, provided the details of the citation.
”The award was made for distinguished action against an armed enemy near Waegwan Korea, Sept. 19, 1950.
The general orders told how Sergeant Ashton, while serving as a boat guide in the assault crossing of the Naktong River, saw that two of his boat crews had been killed or wounded and braved heavy enemy fire to retrieve the boats which were drifting downstream, the citation said. After getting these boats back into operation he observed another boat with a wounded soldier in it drifting downstream. He got two men and went into the river under heavy enemy fire and brought this boat to the friendly shore. Since there were no litter bearers on the beach Sergeant Ashton carried the wounded men across 300 yards of beach, swept by enemy fire, to a point of safety. After returning to the beach and placing four more boats in operation, Sergeant Ashton saw that one of the boat leaders had been wounded. He immediately took his place in the boat and started across the river with a load of infantrymen. A mortar shell struck and exploded in or near the boat fatally wounding Sergeant Ashton and seriously wounding 11 others aboard the boat.
Disregarding his wounds, Sergeant Ashton called for aid from the beach for the other wounded men, before losing consciousness.”

The remains of Sergeant First Class George Ashton were returned to the United States and buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno. His other awards included the Purple Heart.

(NARA2; NARAK; ABMC; WRP October 3, 1950 1:6, May 2, 1951 1:1, USDVA)