George served as a Private First Class, 4th Chemical Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Morgan County, Alabama prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on December 5, 1939, prior to the war.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army in the "Fall Of The Philippines" in April-May, 1942 and was held at the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan 1-2-3, Nueva Province, Luzon Philippines 15-121.
While a POW he was later loaded onto the Japanese cargo ship "Arisan Maru".
The Japanese ship "Arisan Maru" was loaded with 1,782 U.S. POW's and about 100 civilians in the cargo holds. The U.S.S. Shark, not knowing that American POW's were on board, fired three torpedoes at 5:30pm that hit the ship, causing it to break into two pieces that floated before sinking.
The entire crew except for nine of the POWs aboard died in the sinking. The sinking was the largest loss of American lives in a single disaster at sea.
George was declared "Missing In Action" in the sinking of the "Arisan Maru" during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6390117
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Note: Later that same day the U.S.S. Shark (SS-314), which sank the "Arisan Maru", was also sank by the Japanese destroyer Harukaze off Taiwan with a loss of 87 crew members.
Bio by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Morgan County, Alabama prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on December 5, 1939, prior to the war.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army in the "Fall Of The Philippines" in April-May, 1942 and was held at the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan 1-2-3, Nueva Province, Luzon Philippines 15-121.
While a POW he was later loaded onto the Japanese cargo ship "Arisan Maru".
The Japanese ship "Arisan Maru" was loaded with 1,782 U.S. POW's and about 100 civilians in the cargo holds. The U.S.S. Shark, not knowing that American POW's were on board, fired three torpedoes at 5:30pm that hit the ship, causing it to break into two pieces that floated before sinking.
The entire crew except for nine of the POWs aboard died in the sinking. The sinking was the largest loss of American lives in a single disaster at sea.
George was declared "Missing In Action" in the sinking of the "Arisan Maru" during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6390117
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Note: Later that same day the U.S.S. Shark (SS-314), which sank the "Arisan Maru", was also sank by the Japanese destroyer Harukaze off Taiwan with a loss of 87 crew members.
Bio by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
George served as a Private First Class, 4th Chemical Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Morgan County, Alabama prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on December 5, 1939, prior to the war.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army in the "Fall Of The Philippines" in April-May, 1942 and was held at the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan 1-2-3, Nueva Province, Luzon Philippines 15-121.
While a POW he was later loaded onto the Japanese cargo ship "Arisan Maru".
The Japanese ship "Arisan Maru" was loaded with 1,782 U.S. POW's and about 100 civilians in the cargo holds. The U.S.S. Shark, not knowing that American POW's were on board, fired three torpedoes at 5:30pm that hit the ship, causing it to break into two pieces that floated before sinking.
The entire crew except for nine of the POWs aboard died in the sinking. The sinking was the largest loss of American lives in a single disaster at sea.
George was declared "Missing In Action" in the sinking of the "Arisan Maru" during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6390117
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Note: Later that same day the U.S.S. Shark (SS-314), which sank the "Arisan Maru", was also sank by the Japanese destroyer Harukaze off Taiwan with a loss of 87 crew members.
Bio by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Morgan County, Alabama prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on December 5, 1939, prior to the war.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army in the "Fall Of The Philippines" in April-May, 1942 and was held at the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan 1-2-3, Nueva Province, Luzon Philippines 15-121.
While a POW he was later loaded onto the Japanese cargo ship "Arisan Maru".
The Japanese ship "Arisan Maru" was loaded with 1,782 U.S. POW's and about 100 civilians in the cargo holds. The U.S.S. Shark, not knowing that American POW's were on board, fired three torpedoes at 5:30pm that hit the ship, causing it to break into two pieces that floated before sinking.
The entire crew except for nine of the POWs aboard died in the sinking. The sinking was the largest loss of American lives in a single disaster at sea.
George was declared "Missing In Action" in the sinking of the "Arisan Maru" during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6390117
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Note: Later that same day the U.S.S. Shark (SS-314), which sank the "Arisan Maru", was also sank by the Japanese destroyer Harukaze off Taiwan with a loss of 87 crew members.
Bio by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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