Death of USS Arizona Survivor Donald Stratton-- Part 5: Brought Honor to the Man Who Saved Him, Joseph Leon George

In 2002, Mr. Stratton began fighting the Pentagon bureaucracy and Congress to bring an honor to that sailor on The USS Vestal who saved his and the other lives on December 7, 1941, when he tossed them the line.

That man was Joseph Leon George.

Boatswain's mate 2nd Class Joseph Leon George was that alert sailor and Stratton discovered that George had never been decorated for that action.  A retired chief petty officer, George died in 1996.

In 2017, Mr. Stratton and one of those men Mr. George saved, retired Navy Fire Control Chief Lauren Bruner, traveled to Washington, D.C., to personally petition Congress and President Trump to award Mr. George a posthumous medal.

And, they won their final battle of World War II.

On December 7, 2017, George's family received on his behalf, the Bronze Star with a "V" device for battlefield valor.

Mr. Bruner died September 10, 2019, at age 98. and this past December 7, 2019, he became the last USS Arizona survivor to be interred inside his former ship.

Donald Stratton is the co-author of "All the Gallant Men:  An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor."

He is survived by his wife Velma, children Robert, Randy, Gypsy, Roxanne Jp; plus thirteen grand children and great grandchildren.

--GreGen