World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Joseph Leon 'Joe' George
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Hometown
Franklin, Georgia
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
On December 7, 1941, he was a crew member aboard the USS Vestal, a repair ship moored next to the USS Arizona. He spotted six sailors that were trapped in the control tower of the exploding USS Arizona that had been hit by a Japanese bomb and threw them a line, in spite of being ordered to cut the line between the Vestal and Arizona. All six sailors made it across. On December 7, 2017, a Bronze Star with “V” for Valor was presented posthumously to his daughter.