Political Quotes

“I rise to honor the heroism of Boatswain's Mate Second Class Joseph Leon George. On December 7, 1941, 26-year-old Joe George served as a crew member aboard the USS Vestal, a repair ship that was moored next to the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a history- defining event for our Nation, one we humbly observe each year to remember and honor the 2,403 Americans who perished. On that day, Joe George, along with so many other courageous heroes, would take swift and decisive action, putting his own life on the line to save sailors whom he had never met and would never know. When the USS Arizona was attacked, the forward ammunition magazine of the ship exploded--we have all seen that very famous photograph of the Arizona--and engulfed countless sailors in the inferno. Joe George, from his post on the nearby repair boat, recognized six badly burned sailors who were trapped in the control tower on the Arizona's main mast, with no escape options available. Despite the fact that he was ordered to cut the line--to cut the rope--between the Vestal and the sinking Arizona, Joe relentlessly heaved a line, over and over, which spanned a distance of almost 80 feet between the two ships, until Joe was finally able to reach the sailors with his rope. Joe's selfless actions saved six sailors who would have otherwise perished in the flames on the USS Arizona that day.…”