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Joe George was a sailor who saved six men from the USS Arizona during the attack on December 7, 1941. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with “V” Device for Valor in 2017, after a long campaign by the survivors he rescued.
- How USS Arizona Sailors Were Rescued
- 'I'm That Unknown Sailor'
- 'We're Running Out of Time'
- A First-Ever Honor
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
In 1966, Donald Stratton returned to Pearl Harbor for the first time since the attack. He hadn't talked about it much until then, but after that visit, he revealed more of what happened, of his rescue from the Arizona. Stratton and five other crewmen were trapped on a burning tower as the battleship buckled beneath the Japanese assault. They were b...
Taylor knew little about her dad's experiences in World War II and didn't hear the story of the Vestal for years. George told his daughter's husband, Gary, more than he told her. “He would start to cry when he talked about it," she said. "We knew he was on the Vestal … but never did I have the opportunity to listen to what he did.” George told the ...
On Veterans Day, Gardner, the Colorado senator, made the trip to Colorado Springs, where Donald Stratton lives with his wife, Velma. He listened to the stories again and a forceful appeal from Stratton to honor George. "I couldn't help but get emotional," he said. "To imagine these individuals hanging on a lifeline Joe George had thrown to them." T...
Taylor got the call the Friday before Thanksgiving. Her father would receive the Bronze Star for Valor. She called the Strattons with the news. Within a few days, they had arranged for a medal ceremony on the USS Arizona Memorial on Dec. 7, bringing the story full circle. It will be the first medal ever awarded on the memorial, which sits atop the ...
Joe George, a sailor on the USS Vestal, risked his life to rescue six men from the sinking USS Arizona in 1941. After decades of efforts, his daughter and the survivors he saved will receive a Bronze Star Medal for Valor from the Navy.
- Shaun Mckinnon
- Storytelling Coach And Environment Editor
Sep 20, 2018 · Joe George was a sailor who saved six lives by disobeying an order during the Pearl Harbor attack. He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal and is the focus of a new film by Tim Gray, Lifeline: Pearl Harbor's Unknown Hero.
Dec 11, 2016 · It's now 75 years later, and Joe George is still without official recognition for his simple heroic act that saved the lives of six undoubtedly grateful men. Men who otherwise could have ended up as names etched on the Wall of Remembrance above the sunken wreckage, on the USS Arizona Memorial.
Dec 4, 2016 · George, a boatswain’s mate second class, was confined to the Vestal on this Saturday night. He had been caught fighting with another sailor the night before after a raucous "smoker"...
- Shaun Mckinnon
Aug 18, 2023 · "Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue"On December 7th, 1941 and throughout World War II, many Americans displayed Valor and heroism that would largely remain unreco...
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- Pacific Historic Parks
Joe George was a crewman on the USS Vestal who saved six USS Arizona sailors on December 7, 1941. Learn more about his story and other World War II heroes through this documentary film and classroom resources.
