GEORGE H. GAY, JR.
March 8, 1917 – October 21, 1994
George Henry Gay, Jr. was born March 8, 1917 in Waco Texas. His father leased land and sold
insurance. The Gay family later moved to Houston and Dallas. The young Mr. Gay attended
Texas A&M and received ROTC training. He was turned down by the Army Air Corps because
of a heart ailment. He then enlisted in the Navy and became a flyer.
Mr. Gay was a 25-year-old World War II pilot when his squadron of 15 outmoded Douglas
Devastators joined other planes attacking a Japanese task force near Midway Island on June 4,
1942. He was the only one of 30 men in Torpedo Squadron 8 to survive the assault. Wounded,
in a life-jacket, he watched American divebombers hurtle out of the clouds to attack the Japanese
aircraft carriers and found himself “cheering and hollering with every hit.”
He spent 30 hours in the water as the battle raged around him, and he was finally rescued by a
Navy floatplane. American losses were high in the battle, and the Japanese lost three carriers
and the Imperial Navy never recovered from the blow. After his recovery, Mr. Gay became
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’s spokesman for spreading the news back in the United States
with a firsthand account of the nation’s first victory in the war. He was on the cover of the
August 13, 1942 issue of Life magazine and became a national hero. He was loosely assigned to
a San Diego based torpedo squadron, but in fact did Navy public relations work for months,
addressed war-bond rallies and appeared on national radio shows such as the Nelson Eddy and
Don McNeil’s Breakfast Club programs.
After World War II, Mr. Gay was discharged from the Navy with the rank of lieutenant. He was
a TWA pilot for 30 years, flying worldwide routes from 1947 until 1977, when he retired at the
age of 60.
He also made about one speech a month to civic groups around the country, retelling Midway
experiences and calling for greater US military preparedness.
He lived on Long Island, later moved to Naples, Florida, and still later moved again to Marietta,
Georgia because of the convenience of air travel from Atlanta to meet speaking engagements.
He accepted only expenses in payment when he addressed civic groups.
In 1980, Lt. Gay self-published the book Sole Survivor about his Midway experiences.
In addition to medals, Lt. Gay received a citation from the Secretary of the Navy “for
extraordinary heroism and distinguished service beyond the call of duty…His unflinching and
conscientious devotion to the fulfillment of his mission was a determining factor in the defeat of
the enemy forces and in the highest traditions of Navy service.”
Lt. Gay passed away on October 21, 1994 at age 77.
Prior to 1950
/Revised 2003