George H. Pruitt Jr.

Technician Fourth Class George Henry Pruitt Jr. was born on March 26, 1922, in Camden, New Jersey, the son of George H. Pruitt Sr. and Isabel Read Pruitt. The family’s roots in Camden trace back to 1920, when George Sr., then a widower working as a pressman at a cork factory, rented a room from Isabel Read at 1875 South 9th Street. Isabel, also widowed, was raising her seven‑year‑old nephew Ralph at the time. The two married soon afterward, and their children, Martina and George Jr., followed. By 1930, the Pruitts were still living at 1875 South 9th Street, with George Sr. then employed by a coal company. George Jr. grew up in this South Camden household during the difficult years of the Great Depression.

On December 31, 1942, George Pruitt Jr. entered the United States Army, enlisting in Newark, New Jersey. By this time he had married Blanche Gaines. He was assigned to the 43rd Signal Construction Battalion (Colored), a segregated technical unit responsible for building and maintaining communications lines essential to military operations. The battalion was activated at Camp Crowder, Missouri, on February 7, 1944. In July of that year, the unit departed for Europe, arriving at Utah Beach in August as Allied forces continued their advance across France. George Pruitt served overseas with the battalion through the final phases of the war.

Technician Fourth Class Pruitt died on June 10, 1945, in Germany. His death was not related to combat; he drowned while attempting to rescue another soldier, an act of heroism consistent with the Soldier’s Medal he had been awarded. He was buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, where he rests in Plot L, Row 4, Grave 4.

He was survived by his mother, Isabel, and his sister, Martina. By 1947, they were living at 639 Van Hook Street in Camden. His widow, Blanche Gaines Pruitt, received his Soldier’s Medal posthumously. Today, George Henry Pruitt Jr. is remembered as one of the African American servicemen whose contributions to the liberation of Europe were essential yet long overlooked. His story is preserved in the Netherlands through ongoing efforts to document the lives of Black American soldiers buried at Margraten.

Technician 4th Class, U.S. Army

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