Avenue of Heroes: George Lawler

Prepared by: John Nolan (friend)

Lieutenant Colonel George Patrick Lawler, USMC (Ret) was born in Brooklyn, New York,in 1929. He grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, with his three brothers and one sister. George left Trinity High School in New Jersey at the end of his junior year in 1946 to enlist in the Marine Corps. As a young, enlisted Marine, he was in the last group of the fabled ‘China Marines’ arriving in-country in 1947.

In the summer of 1952, he graduated from Seton Hall University and married Patricia Carpenter. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, where he spent the next 25 years as an infantry and ordnance officer.

He enjoyed all his duty stations and served honorably with the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth Marine Regiments. One of his favorite tours of duty was the two years spent in London, England – where two of his sons were born. George was awarded two Purple Hearts while serving in Korea and served in the Vietnam War. In 1962, he graduated
from Quantico’s prestigious Amphibious Warfare School. George was stationed throughout the United States from Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina to his final duty station at Coronado’s Naval Amphibious Base.

George and his wife Patricia had eleven children, seven girls and four boys. Six of his children – Maureen (1977), Mary Margaret (1979), Sean (1980), Jamie (1982), Kelli (1983), and Molly (1984) – graduated from Coronado High School. After retiring from the Marine Corps in 1977, he went back to school at National University and earned a master’s degree in economics. He was then employed as a key leader by the American Association of People with Disabilities. He fully retired in 1988.

George was an avid reader and was involved in the Catholic Church at every duty station; NAS North Island Chapel was his home parish in Coronado. He was also a Catechism teacher for high school students. He and his wife, Patricia, enjoyed large family gatherings,
grandchildren, traveling, and playing golf.

LtCol Lawler passed away in December of 1998 and is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Point Loma.

The Avenue of Heroes Program is a military service recognition program sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 230 hometown heroes to date. On May 20, 2023, another 15 were honored. City staff and volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation. In 2011, the program was inspired spontaneously with the movement of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. News spread quickly throughout the city and the local Rotary Club passed out American flags. People lined Fourth Street to honor the fallen service members. As the procession approached the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting as he waited for the passage of his comrades. At that moment, it was clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes. From that spontaneous beginning, the program was launched in May 2015 with 18 banners. Ceremonies are held twice yearly and men and women with ties to the community have been recognized from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The Avenue of Heroes program is a reminder that Coronado has a rich history and legacy of service to country.