Indianan lauds ’41 bravery of Arkansan

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., paid tribute last week to the late Joseph George, a Cabot man who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star on Thursday.

George, a boatswain’s mate second class in 1941, tossed a rope to sailors trapped aboard the USS Arizona after it was struck in Pearl Harbor by Japanese bombers on Dec. 7 that year.

A Georgia native, George had been ordered to help sever the lines tying his ship, the USS Vestal, to the Arizona. But he paused from his assigned duties long enough to rescue six men from the sinking and fire-ravaged battleship.

“Joe defied direct orders from his superior officer and saved the lives of six men trapped on the embattled USS Arizona,” Banks said during a speech on the House floor.

The congressman lauded George’s “exceptional bravery.”

The lawmaker had introduced a resolution, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., urging the Navy to review George’s case and see if George merited official recognition.

If George had any ties to Indiana, Banks never mentioned them. But George’s courage had caught the attention of middle school students in Warsaw, Ind. They were the ones who had shared George’s story with Banks, the congressman said.

Planning to visit the nation’s capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Washington bureau? It’s available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.